The Legend of Konoha's Shooting Star
by weezerz2490
Summary: The story of how an ordinary girl, through an extraordinary chain of events, grew to become one of the fastest ninjas ever to come out of the village hidden in the leaves.
1. Prologue: April

Author's note: This will probably be a combination of the manga and anime. I hope you enjoy it!

I own nothing but my OC.

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**Prologue: Enter, April Starr!**

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"I'm home!" April announced as she trudged into her uncle's home after a long, boring day of school, soaking wet. The rain was really pouring down out there. She dropped her wet school bag and grabbed the go bag she kept ready with her JKD gear. "Uncle Mike?" She called out as she wandered through the empty house, trying to find her guardian. "Looks like he isn't home yet…" She remarked disappointedly. "… And I'm talking to my self again. _Great_." Her uncle better not have forgotten that she had a tournament today, or she was gonna be pissed. He knew she needed him to give her a ride there, because Casey and her mom were down with a bad case of the flu. She had annoyed the heck out of him about it to make extra sure he had heard her and would remember it.

You see, her old, bachelor uncle was a genius, the 'absent-minded professor' type? Since he worked as both a professor and a consultant, he was always busy solving some kind of complex physics or engineering problem at work. So, she was pretty used to being ignored and disappointed since he never seemed to have any time for her, but she was _really _depending on him to be there for her, just this once. Unfortunately, her worst nightmare seemed to be coming true, because she couldn't find him anywhere. There's no way she was missing this tournament—It was the championship rounds! She decided it was time to venture down into the basement. Normally, she was forbidden from entering it without his permission, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

When she reached the basement door, April saw that a sticky note had been stuck to it. It said: 'April—Just got the transporter working! Off to tell colleagues. Do NOT touch it.' April face-palmed. He _had _forgotten! As usual, he was so caught up in his own little world that he had forgotten all about her! She understood that he was probably super excited because he had been trying to get that stupid thing to work ever since she was a toddler, but couldn't he have waited to disappear until _after_ he had dropped her off at the tournament_!_?

"Freakin' Trekkie!" April muttered darkly under her breath. She took a deep, calming breath, and then smirked with a mischievous gleam in her eye. If he thought that sticky note was going to keep her out, then he really didn't know her at all. She was definitely touching it now! That would teach him not to forget about her again. And if the transporter really worked, then maybe she could use it to get to the tournament. She yanked the basement door open and marched straight inside, making a beeline for the machine. Rather than a futuristic looking platform from Star Trek, it looked more like a mechanized port-a-potty. Actually, that's exactly what it was. Her uncle had apparently used a freakin' plastic port-a-potty for the outer shell of his one-man transporter. Well, whatever. At the moment April didn't really care what it looked like as long as it worked, because her uncle owed her a ride to that tournament, and one way or another, she was getting it. The inside of the port-a-potty/transporter was much more impressive. It was lined with lead, and there was a flat-screen computer monitor and lots of control panels and fiber-optic cables and wires crammed inside. It was very cyberpunk-ish for something that had been made with such ghetto parts. April took a seat in the pilot's chair (which was an old car seat that smelled like wet dog and garbage). She hit the big button on the wall next to her, thinking it was the power button, to start it up. It wasn't. The transporter was already on. The monitor was just sleeping. She had hit the 'go' button.

"_!_?" April gasped in surprise, startled, when she was suddenly hit by a very strange sensation in the pit of her stomach as she was yanked back into her seat by an invisible force. A message flashed across the monitor as it woke up.

_ERROR: NO DESTINATION ENTERED_

Alarmed and confused, April tried to move to do something, but there were too many g's pulling on her. Even though all she could see was the inside of the box, she knew she was moving. _She could feel it._ And then, it got even worse. Since April hadn't bothered to dry herself off earlier she was still soaking wet. A drop of water rolled off of her finger and hit an exposed wire.

ZZT—!

Several sparks flew out as something short-circuited in the machine, and she felt something like an electrical charge shoot up through her spine.

_"AAAAAAHHHH!"_ April screamed in agony as immense pain wracked her entire body. Her vision began to fade to black, but just as she was about to pass out, the force of the transporter jerking to a sudden stop threw her headfirst from the chair to the door, and the resulting collision pushed it open and sent her tumbling out of the transporter. "Ow—_Whoa_!" Fortunately, her quick reflexes saved her, and she managed to tuck and roll in time to avoid hitting her head on the floor, too. "Safe!" She declared as she rolled into an upright sitting position, throwing her hands in the air to form a 'V' like an Olympic medalist who had just stuck their landing.

"… What are you doing?" An elderly male voice asked her from behind, causing April to whip her head around. As she was turning, several men wearing army-green flack jackets over navy clothes and toeless sandals suddenly appeared, and April found herself surrounded. Across the room, standing just in front of a large desk, was an old man dressed in a red and white conical hat with the kanji for 'fire' and red and white robes.

"Using my uncle's transporter to get to a martial arts tournament." She answered calmly, staying where she was. "What are _you_ doing?" 'Aren't these guys a bit old to be a cosplaying?' April thought, sweat-dropping, as she furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. And what was with this intense atmosphere? It was like they were seriously ready to kill her… "This isn't the San Gabriel Valley Mixed Martial Arts Tournament, is it?"

"No." The old man replied firmly. "Do you have any idea where you are?"

"Not really." She replied frankly. "So, would you mind telling me where I am?"

"First, tell me who you are." He said. "List your name, age, and rank."

"April Starr. Thirteen years old. Level 4 Associate Instructor of Jeet Kune Do." She stated seriously, deciding to play along since they seemed to have her outnumbered and outclassed. Unfortunately, they didn't seem very impressed. Probably because they didn't know what she was talking about. But they assumed she must be referring to some form of fighting style she had mentioned a martial arts tournament.

"What village are you from?" The old man asked.

"Huh? Village?" She asked with a frown. "I'm from Pasadena. Where exactly am I? Who are you people?"

"I've never heard of this 'Pasadena' place you speak of." The old man said, furrowing his brow slightly. "What country is it located in?"

"Uh, the United States of America." April answered as if it should have been obvious, raising an eyebrow.

"If you're going to lie, at least try to come up with something more believable!" One of the men in the flack jackets said, shooting her a glare of disapproval. "There is no such place."

"No, it's true!" April said defensively, a bit annoyed they didn't know about her hometown. What kind of rock did they live under? Pasadena was home to the freakin' Rose Bowl! "It's in the state of California, you've at least heard of that, right?"

"No, because _none_ of the three places you just named exist!" The man retorted sternly. April stared at him, shocked.

"No way! You expect me to believe you've never heard of the most powerful country in the world_!_?" She snapped incredulously.

"You are in the most powerful country in the world right now." The old man stated calmly, watching all of her reactions with an eagle eye. They appeared to be genuine, even though what she was saying made no sense at all. "This is Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, in the Land of Fire."

April's expression deadpanned.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." She said flatly, looking extremely unimpressed. Now who was making things up? Were they trying to knock off _Avatar: The Last Airbender_? Next thing you know, they'd be claiming they could breathe fire. "No, seriously, where am I? Is this Canada?"

"Canada?" The old man asked, frowning slightly. That was another place name that he had never heard of before.

"Hokage-sama, what should we do with this girl?" Another one of the men in flack jackets asked. "She's obviously very suspicious. She could be an enemy spy."

'If I was a spy, then I'd be a pretty bad one if I just burst into here like this, wouldn't I?' April thought, a little chagrined. These guys were taking their roleplaying very seriously… "Well, if you won't take my word for it…" She said, reaching into her bag. "!" April quickly dodged and managed to sidestep all of the kunai that they had suddenly thrown at her.

'Hmm… Her speed isn't bad.' The Hokage thought. It would seem this girl wasn't completely clueless after all. She was trembling now. Was she scared now that she realized the severity of the situation she had landed herself in by intruding into their village without permission?

"Whoa! That was… so cool~!" She gushed as she raised her head, revealing that she was far more excited and impressed than she was afraid. They were so fast, she barely even had time to react! "Just like real ninja!" She exclaimed with sparkling eyes. Ninjas were awesome!

'… Eh?' The Hokage and his body guards thought, sweat-dropping. She really had no clue where she was, did she? What did she mean, 'like real ninja'? They were in a ninja village!

"But why did you suddenly try to attack me?" She asked, furrowing her brow slightly as she frowned. "I was just getting my ID card from when I got registered as a JKD instructor. See, it has my name, age, and everything on here." She said, holding it out for them to see.

"I see…" The Hokage said as one of his subordinates took the card and handed it over to him after inspecting it to make sure there wasn't any suspicious (like an explosive tag) attached to it. "What language is this supposed to be?" He asked curiously. He didn't recognize any of the strange characters that had been printed on the card.

"Huh? What language?" April asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Was he serious? "It's the one you're speaking right now, English."

"English?" He asked, furrowing his brow slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about. We're simply speaking the common tongue."

"…" April sweat-dropped. Something definitely wasn't right here. "Um… I've noticed you have a lot of stuff written in Japanese in this room… could it be, that's what your written language looks like?" She asked on a hunch.

"I don't know what you mean by 'Japanese'," The old man said as he handed it back to her, "but yes, that is the common tongue's written form."

"Ah, is that so…?" April said with a wry smile, sounding a little nervous. That was definitely Japanese! She knew for sure because she could read most of it without any problem, thanks to Casey talking her into learning how to help translate raw manga scans for their favorite series a while back. Either these people were totally nuts, or she had somehow been sucked into a world where everyone talked like they were in a dubbed anime… Either way, she definitely wasn't were she was supposed to be. "Well, if you'll excuse me…" She said, slowly turning back to face the transporter again. I'll just hop back into my little machine here and—_!_?" April's eyes widened in shock when she finally got a good look at the state it was in. The inside of the transporter had been totally fried when it short-circuited! "Oh, no! My uncle is _so_ gonna kill me_!_!" She cried in alarm. He was really scary on the rare occasions when he actually got mad! Was it even usable anymore_!_? "Aghh! This sucks!" She groaned as she mussed up her hair, giving the smoking transporter a swift kick.

_CLICK._

"Eh?" April said, freezing, when she heard the sound of something falling back into place, and the whir of the operating system rebooting. "Ah! W-Wait a minute!" She said, moving to jump back inside of the transporter. "What did she just do? Why was it starting up all on its own like that? Was it trying to go back_!_?

"Hold it!" One of the Hokage's guards said sternly as they moved to intercept her. "You're not going anywhere!" He told her as they held her down. The transporter began to crackle with energy. "Not until we have some answer—_!_?" They all gasped in astonishment when they felt the same strange energy they had sensed before, and the transporter seemingly winked out of existence right before their eyes, leaving its original passenger behind. They all stared at the empty space, stunned. April was pale with shock. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of her face.

'No way…' She thought, a bit shell-shocked as what just happened began to sank in. 'Don't tell me… I'm stranded here?' She didn't even known where 'here' was! "Y-You—_You jerks!_!" April snapped with a vein throbbing on her forehead. "That was my only way home! What am I supposed to do now_!_?" She demanded tartly, shooting them all a fierce glare of annoyance.

"You were the one who kicked it." The Hokage reminded her calmly with a wry expression on his face. At the moment, she really reminded him of Naruto. Another troublesome child had appeared…

"I would've made it if your men hadn't stopped me!" She retorted with a huff, though her face was flushed slightly with embarrassment as she realized he had a point. She really shouldn't have done that…. "Whatever, I'm stuck here now. How are you going to take responsibility for that?"

"Responsibility, huh?" The Hokage mused, taking a puff on his pipe. "That'll be determined once we know a little more about you. First, there's someone I want you to have a chat with…"

–∞–

April looked around the sparsely furnished and poorly lit room that she had been escorted to. The atmosphere reminded her of the scene in a crime drama where the cops tried to get the suspect to confess. Seriously, she was only thirteen. What was with the third degree? What kind of adult treats a girl in pigtails like a hardened criminal?

"Am I being interrogated?" She asked the stony-faced man with the scarred face, who was seated across from her, even though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

"Yes." He stated coolly.

"So what do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Okay." April agreed without hesitation.

"Oh, so you're going to cooperate?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I had expected a little more resistance than that. It's no fun if you give in so easily."

"I'm not here to entertain you." She replied bluntly, sweat-dropping. Was this guy some kind of sadist? He seemed like the type who liked toying with people. "Look, I know the way I suddenly appeared in your boss's office must seem really suspicious, but I'm not whatever you guys seem to think I am. I'm just a lost little girl who made a bad decision to go for a joyride in her uncle's faulty transporter, okay? I just want to go home. It's not like I'm a spy or anything, so there's no reason not to tell the truth… Well, the truth may actually be stranger than fiction in this case…" From the little she had seen of this place, she could tell it was very low-tech and unlike any place she had ever been to or seen on TV before. Even something about the air felt different. "But you get what I'm trying to say, right? I'm still not entirely sure how I ended up in this place, so I want to figure out what happened just as much as you guys." She explained patiently.

"I see." The man said. This girl seemed naïve, but she was very pragmatic. "In that case, shall we begin?" He asked with the hint of a smirk. "Just remember, the answers you give will decide your future; whether or not you have one."

"Oh, great." April deadpanned. "No pressure then."


	2. Chapter1: Naruto

Author's note: I've added a link to a picture of April as she appears in this chapter to my profile for anyone who's curious.

I own nothing but my OC.

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**Chapter 1: Naruto Uzumaki**

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**One Year Later…**

_ Twelve years ago, a nine-tailed fox suddenly appeared. It's tails lashed out, smashing mountains and sending tidal waves crashing to the shores. The ninja rose up to defend their villages._

_"Hold it there until the Fourth comes!" A wounded konoha ninja shouted as blood dripped down the side of his face._

_"Don't let it get any closer to our village!" Another shouted as a giant frog appeared to face the fox, carrying a lone ninja on its head. This one shinobi faced the nine-tailed fox in mortal combat. He sacrificed his life to capture the beast and seal it away. That ninja was known as the fourth Hokage._

BRRINNNG!

"!" April woke with a start and hit her alarm clock to stop it. "That was some dream." She said with a yawn, stretching in bed. "I guess that's what happens when you try to read up the history of a ninja village before bedtime…" April stared up at the ceiling of the small apartment that she was living in now. She couldn't believe she had already been in this world for a whole year… The exact anniversary of her mishap with the transporter was only a day or two away. She wondered if her uncle missed her… "Ah, there's no time for that now." April chided herself, rolling out of bed. It was pointless worrying about something she couldn't change, and she was going to be late for class if she kept this up. Aside from the fact that she never got to say goodbye to her uncle, friends, and teacher, or let them know she was okay somehow, she was actually pretty happy in here in Konoha. For one thing, she finally had the chance to become a real ninja! That had been her dream ever since she was six, and now she finally had the chance to realize it. All she had to do was pass the upcoming graduation exam! April grinned as she finished getting ready and grabbed a piece of toast on her way out. "It's another day of ninja school, Mom and Dad!" She told the old photo of her family that she had framed and hung on the wall as she opened the door to leave. "Wish me luck."

–∞–

"Hm?" Iruka-sensei said when he walked into the classroom and immediately noticed the seat next April was empty. "Where's Naruto?" He asked her. The two of them had appeared to have formed some sort of bond after living next to each other for a year, because they were almost always together.

"Why are you looking at me?" April asked innocently.

"Because you two are friends, aren't you?" He reminded her, crossing his arms. She was also (occasionally) his accomplice. "So, spill. Where is he? What's he up to this time?"

"I honestly don't know." April replied with a wry smile. "I haven't seen him yet today. See, I still have his bento." She said, holding up two wrapped lunch boxes to prove her point. She usually gave Naruto his when they met up in the morning on the way to school.

'I have a bad feeling about this…' Iruka thought, sweat-dropping. Even though she also had a mischievous streak in her, April was definitely the more responsible of the two. She was always careful not to take her pranks too far, since she was originally an outsider and still considered herself a guest in their village. But if she wasn't there to moderate him, there was no telling what Naruto could be up to… "It can't be helped, then." Their teacher said with a sigh as he turned and wrote 'Self Study' on the chalk board. "I'm going to step out for a bit. Until I get back, I want you all to study and review what we just learned."

The moment he was gone, April and Shikamaru's heads both went down for a nap, while Chōji pulled out some snacks, and everyone else began to talk amongst themselves, especially the other girls, who never seemed to get tired of talking about Sasuke. It seemed like April had only just closed her eyes, when the door of the classroom abruptly slid open again, and a tied up Naruto was tossed in by an irritated Iruka-sensei.

"Hey, not so rough!" Naruto shouted, looking equally annoyed that his fun had been interrupted, as he rolled himself up into a sitting position.

"Listen, Naruto!" Iruka-sensei said sternly with a vein throbbing on his forehead. "Tomorrow is the Shinobi Academy's graduation exam, and you failed it the last two times_!_! This isn't the time to be causing trouble_!_! Idiot!"

"Hmph. Whatever…" Naruto said boredly, looking like he couldn't care less.

"!" Another vein throbbed on Iruka's head as he grit his teeth.

'Uh-oh…' April thought. Iruka looked like he was about to snap.

"That's it! Time for a transformation jutsu test_!_!" Their teacher snapped. "Everyone line up_!_!"

"What_!_?" A majority of the class shouted incredulously.

"Everyone transform _perfectly_ into me_!_!" Iruka-sensei ordered them as they all reluctantly came down to the front of the class to line up, shooting daggers at Naruto for getting them into this mess.

"Sakura Haruno going!" Sakura said as she stepped forward, going first. "Transform!" She formed the correct hand seal and transformed perfectly into Iruka-sensei.

"Okay, good." The teacher praised her, recording her score.

"Yay, I did it!" Sakura said cheerfully with a cute smile. 'Cha! All right!' Her inner voice said confidently, pumping her fist. "Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?" She asked.

"Next, Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka-sensei said. Sasuke stepped forward and transformed into the teacher flawlessly. "Okay." Iruka said, marking his score. "Next, April Starr."

"Okay." April said, stepping forward. She made the hand seal and took a moment to focus her chakra. "Transform!" With a puff of smoke, she managed to transform into the spitting image of him.

"Very good." Iruka praised her, despite the slight delay. She had a much lower than average amount of chakra, so she tended to have trouble performing most genjutsu and ninjutsu techniques, but when it came to taijutsu, she was at the top of her class. "You're really improving!" April smiled happily, relieved that she had managed to pull it off.

"Next, Naruto Uzumaki."

"What a drag." Shikamaru remarked boredly.

"This is all your fault." Ino told Naruto as he stepped out of line to take his turn.

"Like I care." Naruto retorted with a frown. 'Man, this sucks…' He thought. 'Well, here I go!'

'Naruto-kun…' Hinata thought, blushing shyly, as she watched him from further down the line. 'D-do your best...!'

'I hope he's not going to do what I think he's gonna do…' April thought wryly when she noticed the smirk on his face.

"Transform_!_!" Naruto said as he was enveloped in a puff of smoke. April deadpanned when the smoke cleared and they could all see Naruto's new form. He had taken on the appearance of a very busty, very curvy, and very naked blonde woman, who had some very strategically placed wisps of smoke still floating around her to hide the really naughty bits. Naruto winked and blew a kiss to add to the effect.

'I can't believe he used that in front of a teacher...' April thought with a rueful smile, sweat-dropping, as Iruka-sensei's jaw dropped and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. A small spurt of blood shot out of his nose just before it started gushing like a geyser, with enough force to send him falling over backwards. 'Whoa_!_?' April flinched in surprise. Was he okay, losing that much blood so quickly?

"Wahahaha! How was _that_?" Naruto asked, cracking up at the priceless expression on their teacher's face. He got Iruka-sensei good! "I call that my 'sexy jutsu'." He stated proudly with a grin.

"You moron_!_!" Iruka roared furiously, quickly plugging up his nose with tissues. "Don't invent stupid skills!"

'Says the man who was just floored by it…' April thought, shaking her head. It might be stupid, but it was still effective.

–∞–

"Damn it…" Naruto grumbled as he used a rag to wipe off the graffiti that he had painted on the faces of the hokage monument on the cliff/mountain that loomed over the village. It was kind of like Konoha's version of Mount Rushmore.

'Frankly, I'm impressed he was able to do so much damage on his own. How did he even get up there on his own in the first place?' April wondered. They had to set up a suspended scaffold in order for him to work. Of course, she had offered to help, but Iruka-sensei had insisted that, as the culprit, Naruto should do it on his own, or it wouldn't be a real punishment. So, here she was, sitting on the face of one of the hokages after school with Iruka-sensei, while they waited for Naruto to finish cleaning.

"I won't let you go until everything is as it has to be." Iruka told the disgruntled Naruto firmly with his arms crossed.

"I don't care." Naruto retorted sassily. "It's not like I have anyone to go home to. Hmph." Iruka and April exchanged a knowing glance. Despite his defiant attitude, they could tell he was pouting on the inside.

"Naruto…" Iruka said.

"What?" Naruto asked, looking up with a grumpy expression on his face.

"Well, uhm… If you clean all of that up, I'll treat you to some ramen tonight…" Iruka promised tentatively, scratching his cheek.

"Ha!" Naruto gasped in surprise, instantly lighting up. "All right_!_!" he cheered excitedly. "I'll do my best, then_!_!"

"Good job, Sensei." April said with a smile. Way to rekindle his spunk!

–∞–

Later that evening, once Naruto had finished cleaning everything, the three of them went to eat at Ichiraku Ramen.

"Naruto." Iruka-sensei said as the two kids started to dig in.

"Hm?" Naruto said with a mouth full of noodles.

"Why did you do that to the monument?" Iruka asked curiously. "You know who the Hokages are, right?"

"Of course I do." Naruto answered, slurping up some more noodles. "Basically, those who get the title of Hokage were the strongest shinobi of this village, right? And I hear the Fourth is a hero who protected the village from a monster fox."

"Then why?"

"Because one day I'm gonna get the title of Hokage, and then I'll surpass all of them_!_!" Naruto declared grandly. Iruka froze with a noodle hanging out of his mouth. "And then, I'll make everyone in the village acknowledge my strength!"

"Well, even so… I think it'd probably be better if you tried showing a little more respect for your predecessors." April suggested reasonably. "How would you feel if some shorty scribbled all over _your _face?" Iruka finished swallowing and nodded in agreement.

"Hey! I'm not that short!" Naruto retorted defensively.

"You're shorter than me." She reminded him with a smirk.

"Mmn…" Naruto turned away from her with a huff, annoyed because it was true. Besides, no matter how much she teased him, she was the first person he'd ever met who had never laughed at his dream. "By the way, Iruka-sensei… I have a little favor to ask."

"What? You want a second bowl of ramen?" Iruka asked.

"No, can I borrow your forehead protector?" Naruto asked hopefully, putting his hands together.

"Oh, this?" Iruka said, touching his official Konoha forehead protector. "No way! This is proof you graduated school and became a real ninja. You'll get yours tomorrow."

"Sweet." April said with a grin. But Naruto wasn't so easily satisfied.

"Stingy!" Naruto shouted accusingly.

"Haha! Is that why you took your goggles off?" Iruka asked with a knowing smile. He must have wanted to wear it.

"I want another bowl!" Naruto shouted, placing an order for seconds.

"Ahh!" Iruka exclaimed in dismay. That little…!

"Haha! He got you there, Sensei." April laughed.


	3. Chapter2: Graduation

I own nothing but my OC.

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**Chapter 2: Graduation**

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**The next day…**

Naruto and April were both feeling excited and a little nervous as they sat in the classroom waiting for Iruka-sensei to get started.

'This is it, the day I finally become a real ninja…!' April thought happily with a silly grin on her face. She had to really bust her butt in order to catch up with the others, who had been training for years, but it was so totally worth it!

"We will now start the final exam." Iruka announced. "When your name is called, come to the room next door. To graduate, you'll have to perform the 'clone jutsu'."

'Oh, no! Not that one!' Naruto cried internally, breaking out into a nervous sweat. 'That's my worst skill!'

'They just had to pick the one thing that gives both of us the most trouble…' April thought, letting out a disappointed sigh. She clenched her firsts and steeled her resolve. "All right, now that it's come to this… we'll just have to do it!" She said determinedly. "It's not over till the fat lady sings, right, Naruto?"

"Right!" Naruto said, also clenching his fists, as he swallowed the lump in his throat. April was right! They'd pull it off somehow! Just watch!

They didn't seem to be calling names in alphabetical order, because Naruto's name ended up being called before April's.

"Good luck, Naruto! Do your best!" April encouraged him, hoping they would both manage to make it.

"Yeah, you too." Naruto said as he got up and headed for the door. April glanced around the empty classroom when he was gone.

'Looks like I'm the only one left.' She thought, resting her head on her hand for a moment. She wondered if they were saving her for last because she was an outsider…

"April Starr!"

"Y-Yeah, coming!" She said, nearly falling over in her haste to get up. It was finally her turn!

April walked into the next classroom, where Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei were waiting. She took a deep, calming breathe and exhaled, centering herself so she could focus. She raised her hands and formed the hand seal. "Clone Jutsu!" When the puff of smoke cleared, there were two Aprils standing before them. They both looked equally solid and perfectly identical.

"Well done." Iruka said, a little relieved. Much better than Naruto. Considering that she had only been with them for a year and her low chakra levels, she had done very well. "You pass." He told her with a smile.

"Yeeessss~_!_!" April cheered as she let her clone vanish in a poof, literally jumping for joy. She was just about to break out into a victory dance, when Mizuki-sensei spoke up.

"Hold on, Iruka-sensei." He said, stopping her in her tracks. "Although she did manage to replicate, she only produced one clone, and you just failed Naruto for the reason."

"What?" April asked, staring at Iruka in shock. How could he…_!_?

"That was different." Iruka said a bit defensively. "Naruto's clone was useless, whereas April's clone was flawless. What she lacked in quantity, she made up for with quality. And unlike Naruto, who has below average grades in every subject, she has above average grades in most subjects and advanced skills in Taijutsu. Remember, there is a precedent for a student being allowed to pass because—"

"Sensei." April interrupted him with a troubled expression on her face. Iruka stopped, surprised. "Is it true you failed Naruto?" She asked grimly.

"Yes." He replied a bit regretfully. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't pass him. He wasn't ready. I'm afraid it would be too dangerous if we sent him out on missions the way he is now." April lowered her head sadly.

"Then…" She said after a moment of silence had passed. "You shouldn't pass me either."

"April!" Iruka said, taken aback.

"But it's not fair!" She said, raising her head to meet his eyes. "I can tell from the fact that there are only _two_ forehead protectors left, that if I pass, then Naruto will be the only one who failed. It may seem like he's always goofing off, but Naruto was working really hard! I know, because the two of us trained together!"

"April." Iruka said firmly. "I know you're upset, but believe it or not, this is fair. You demonstrated one of my reasons for passing you just now. You're very sharp and observant. And even though you have the less chakra than the rest of your classmates, you've managed to reach the senior level in only one year. Do you know how rare that is?"

"Ah, that's true…" Mizuki said thoughtfully. It was especially remarkable considering she wasn't even from a ninja family and had been raised outside of the village. That she could reach this level after starting out with virtually nothing in such a short amount of time was a testament to her skill and talent… but with her low chakra levels, she had probably already reached the extent of her abilities.

"But—" April said hesitantly.

"April, I know you don't want to hurt Naruto, but holding yourself back won't help him." Iruka said gently but firmly. "And if he finds out that you chose to stay back for his sake, he won't thank you for it. If anything, it'll make him feel worse. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes." April answered reluctantly but honestly, furrowing her brow. "Thank you, Sensei." She said solemnly, bowing, as she accepted her forehead protector.

–∞–

While he was waiting for April to finish, Naruto was sitting on the swing hanging from a tree outside the front of the academy. Watching all of the other kids smiling proudly while they showed their parents their new forehead protectors only made him feel even worse.

"Great job! That's my son!"

"Now you're a man!"

"I'm so proud of you! I'm going to make your favorite dinner tonight."

"Hey, that kid…" One of the mothers, who was wearing a headband, said when she noticed Naruto sitting a couple yards away, all alone.

"Yeah, that's _the kid_." Another mother, who was clearly a friend of hers said disdainfully. "And I heard he's also the only one who failed."

"Well, that's a good thing." The woman in the headband said as they both glared at him coldly. "He shouldn't become a shinobi, since he's—"

"Shh! We're not supposed to talk about that."

–∞–

When April came out, she found the swing empty. Naruto wasn't hiding in the tree either.

"Good riddance." She heard one of the adults say. April turned and shot them a glare before marching off to find her friend. That was the only thing she didn't like about this village. For some reason, most of the adults treated Naruto like dirt, and this discrimination had rubbed off on their children, so Naruto had always been alone before she came. She didn't blame him for not wanting to wait around. Not only did he have to deal with that sort of nonsense, but there were a lot of families there. She knew from personal experience how hard it could be having to watch that when you didn't have one of your own. After her own parents died… April shook her head. 'No, no! How can you cheer Naruto up if you let yourself get depressed over something like this!' She scolded herself, clapping her hands on her cheeks to snap herself out of it as she kept going.

"Iruka, I need to talk to you." The Third Hokage said, having seen the whole thing.

"Yes, sir." Iruka replied dutifully.

–∞–

"Naruto-kun." A familiar voice called out, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto said, surprised to see a teacher instead. If anyone would have come after him, he thought it would be April.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Mizuki asked with a smile. Naruto looked away. "April-chan also passed." Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he looked back up at him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with you."

"Iruka-sensei is a serious person." Mizuki began once they had climbed up onto a ledge overlooking the village to talk. "His parents were killed when he was young, and he had to take care of everything himself."

"But why does he only pick on me_!_?" Naruto mumbled, furrowing his brow, as he watched the streets start to empty with the setting of the sun. He thought he could see April's purple pigtails in the distance, but he didn't feel like talking to her at the moment, not after hearing that she had passed without him. He knew she deserved it, but that didn't make it any easier to accept his own defeat.

"He probably sees himself in you." Mizuki answered Naruto, surprising him.

"He's probably thinking that he wants to see you become strong in the real way. Try to understand Iruka's feelings, since you also have no parents."

"But…" Naruto said, sounding like he was trying not to cry. "I wanted to graduate." Even April had left him behind.

"In that case…" Mizuki said.

"Huh?"

"I'll tell you a special secret."

–∞–

April frowned as she stared down at the empty seat at the table across from her and looked out the window. It was dark outside, and the moon was already pretty high in the sky. She had thought Naruto would at least return home when it was time to eat, since she usually made dinner, but he hadn't been in his apartment, either… She decided to cover the food and keep looking.

–∞–

Meanwhile, Naruto had decided to act on the information given to him by Mizuki-sensei, and was doing his best to stealthily sneak into the Hokage's residence.

"What are you doing in my house at this hour?" The Hokage asked from behind, startling him.

"!" Naruto flinched guiltily. "Sex Jutsu_!_!" He shouted quickly as he spun around to face the old man, transforming.

"Wah_!_?" The Hokage cried out as he was floored by the technique. Naruto used the opportunity to run away, leaving the old man behind in a pool of blood from his nosebleed. He snuck into the scroll room and began searching for the one Mizuki-sensei had mentioned.

'Found it_!_!' He thought excitedly. Naruto grabbed the large scroll and left, unaware that he was being watched.

Mizuki smirked from the shadows as he watched Naruto go.

"Ah, there you are!" Someone shouted, freezing Naruto in his tracks. He couldn't believe he had been caught already! He turned to look down and saw that it was only April.

"Oh, good. It's only you…" Naruto said, letting out a huge sigh of relief.

"What are you doing? I've been looking all over for you!" She scolded him with her hands on her hips. "You really had me worried, you know!"

"Shh! Not so loud!" Naruto whisper-yelled. "I'm on a secret mission right now! I have to study this secret scroll…"

"Secret scroll?" April asked with sparkling eyes, lighting up immediately upon hearing those magic words. Naruto smirked. He knew that would get her attention.

"Yeah, Mizuki-sensei said that if I can learn at least one of the techniques in this scroll, then they'll let me graduate!" He explained with a grin.

"That's great!" April said. Something felt a little off, but she just couldn't say no to a secret scroll. "Well, what are we waiting for, let's go!" The two of them quickly and quietly stole off together to find a safe place to study and practice.

"Let's see…" Naruto said as they opened the Scroll of Sealing. "The first justu is 'shadow clone jutsu'? What the…_!_! Why does it start with the thing I'm bad at_!_?" He asked incredulously.

"Again?" April asked, sweat-dropping. Did this kid run over karma's dog in another life or something?

–∞–

As Iruka lay in bed, staring up at the moon through the window by his head, he recalled his earlier conversation with the Hokage.

_"Iruka…"_

_"Yes, Hokage-sama?"_

_"I understand how you feel… but Naruto also had to grow up without knowing the love of a parent. The two of you are very similar."_

He knew the Hokage was right. He had begun to realize that for himself, but… he just couldn't forget that horrible night when the nine-tailed fox attacked, and he was forced to flee while his parents died fighting it…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Iruka was startled out of his silent reverie by a loud banging on his door.

"What is it?" Iruka asked as he answered the door, surprised to see Mizuki outside his home so late at night.

"We must go to Hokage-sama's place at once_!_!" Mizuki said urgently. "Naruto has… taken the scroll of the forbidden seal!"

"_!_!" Iruka gasped in shock. He and Mizuki quickly rushed over to meet with the Hokage, where many other ninja had already been gathered.

"Hokage-sama, we can't let this slide by as a prank_!_!" One of the men said, clenching his fist.

"Yes, that is a dangerous scroll forbidden by the previous Hokage." The Third said thoughtfully. "If used in a certain way, it could cause incredible danger… It's been half a night since the scroll was taken. We must hurry and find Naruto_!_!"

"Yes, sir!" The ninja responded dutifully, scattering in all directions to begin their search.

'Where could he be…?' Iruka wondered, breathing heavily from the effort of sprinting around the village. He had already checked to make sure Naruto hadn't just gone home, and he couldn't ask April, because she wasn't home either! Could the two of them be together? But he hadn't spotted wither of them at any of their usual haunts… 'I'd better check the woods!' He decided.

'I'll spread the word through out the village a little more.' Mizuki thought as he ran. 'Then I'll get rid of Naruto and make it look like he disappeared with that scroll.'

–∞–

April and Naruto were panting from all the effort they had been putting into trying to learn that one technique.

"I don't know… about you… but I'm kinda worn out." April said tiredly.

"I… could… go for some ramen." Naruto said, earning a growl from both of their empty stomachs. Come to think of it, neither one of them had eaten dinner any dinner yet…

"!" They both perked up when they a shadow fell over them.

"Hey, Naruto... April…" Iruka-sensei said a little ominously as he loomed over them, looking extremely irritated and a bit sweaty.

"Hey! I found the nose-bleeder!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at their teacher with a cheeky grin on his face.

"_Baka!_! I found you_!_!" Iruka snapped back with a vein throbbing on his temple. "!" He said when he noticed the state that the two kids were in. They were both sweaty and covered in dirt.

"Hehe… It looks like we've been caught, Naruto!" April said with a wry smile and nervous laugh, while Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Haha, yeah…" He agreed a bit sheepishly. "And I only learned one thing."

"Hey! You two look all beaten up, what were you doing out here?" Iruka asked.

"Nevermind that!" Naruto said, getting excited. "Hey, hey! I'm going to try an incredible jutsu, so let me graduate if I can do it!"

'So… they were practicing here?' Iruka thought, surprised, as he watched April step back to give Naruto some room while he formed a hand seal and focused his chakra. 'Enough to damage their bodies…' "Naruto." He said, breaking the boy's concentration.

"Hn?" Naruto said, glancing up at him.

"Where did you get that scroll?" Iruka asked.

"Oh, this?" Naruto asked, turning his head to look at the huge scroll on his back.

"Didn't you say Mizuki-sensei gave it to you?" April said.

"No, but he told me about it, and this place too." Naruto explained before turning back to Iruka-sensei. "He told me that if I showed you a technique from this scroll, I'd definitely graduate!" Iruka gasped in astonishment.

'Mizuki did_!_?' He thought, taken aback. Then…

"Sensei?" April asked, wondering what was wrong. She didn't like the look on Iruka-sensei's face. "Is something—_!_?" She and Iruka both gasped and whipped their heads around when they suddenly sensed a killing intent. Her eyes widened in surprise when Iruka suddenly shoved her and Naruto away.

_FWIP. FWIP. FWIP. _THUD! THUD! THUD!

"Iruka-sensei!" April yelled alarm, recovering first, when she saw that he had been pinned to the wall of the abandoned shed they had been standing in front of.

"Nice job finding the moron!" Mizuki complimented his fellow teacher cynically from his perch in the tree above. He hadn't expected the little outsider girl to be there. Oh well, he'd just have to kill her too and make it look like they ran off together.

"I see… so that's what's going on…" Iruka said, grunting in pain. April furrowed her brow and grit her teeth as she glared up at Mizuki.

"Naruto, give me the scroll!" Mizuki said sternly.

"Huh, what_!_? What's going on here_!_!_?_" Naruto asked, completely bewildered. Why was Mizuki-sensei attacking Iruka-sensei_!_?

"It looks like Mizuki-sensei was just using you." April said, clenching her fist.

"What_!_?" Naruto shouted, flinching in shock.

"Naruto! April! Whatever happens, don't let him get the scroll_!_!" Iruka said urgently, wincing, as he pulled out one of the kunai. "That's a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu written inside it! Mizuki used you… to get his hands on it_!_!"

'Forbidden?' April thought, surprised. Why was it forbidden? Well, she supposed that didn't really matter right now. The important thing was not to let the scroll fall into the wrong hands. She and Naruto both furrowed their brows and took up a fighting stance. April carefully moved over to Iruka-sensei's side so she could pull out a stray kunai that was stuck in the shed wall to use as a weapon.

"Naruto, there's no point in you having it." Mizuki said with a twisted smirk. "I'll tell you the truth."

"_!_!" Iruka gasped. He wouldn't! "N-No_!_! Don't_!_!" He yelled anxiously at Mizuki. If Naruto found out…

"Twelve years ago… you kids know about the demon fox being sealed, right?" Mizuki asked.

"?" Naruto and April frowned, wondering where he was going with this. Why was Iruka-sensei so freaked out?

"Since that day… a special rule was created for this village." Mizuki continued.

"… A rule?" Naruto asked.

"But this rule was never meant to be told to _you_."

"Not to me? What is this rule_!_?" Naruto demanded. "Tell me_!_!" Mizuki just laughed.

"What… kind of rule?" April asked warily. She really didn't like the look in his eyes.

"The rule is that nobody is allowed to talk about the fact that Naruto is the nine-tailed demon fox!" Mizuki revealed maliciously, enjoying the stunned looks on the children's faces.

'No way…' April thought, glancing at the younger boy. Naruto a demon? Sure, he was a handful, but there wasn't an evil bone in his body!

"What?" Naruto asked numbly. "What did you say?" He didn't want to believe it, but the way all of the adults looked at him…

"Stop it_!_!" Iruka yelled desperately.

"Don't listen anymore, Naruto!" April said earnestly, seeing the toll Mizuki's words were having on him. "I'm sure he's just—"

"It means that you are the nine-tailed demon fox that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village_!_!" Mizuki told Naruto, cutting her off.

"I said, stop_!_!" Iruka yelled.

"You were sealed up by the Hokage you admire, and you have been lied to by everyone this whole time_!_!" Mizuki continued, ignoring them. "Didn't you find it strange how everyone hates you? Iruka is the same_!_! He also hates you_!_! And now that she knows you're a monster, do you think that outsider will stay friends with you_!_?"

"Shut up_!_!" April snapped angrily. Mizuki had no idea how lucky he was that he was out of her reach at the moment! "Speak for your—_!_?" She and Iruka both gasped in surprise when they suddenly felt Naruto release a huge amount of chakra. The energy swirled up in a circle around his feet. It was so strong, that it actually created a gust of wind and blew his hair up.

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed miserably, gritting his teeth.

"Naruto…!" April cried.

"Nobody will ever love you_!_!" Mizuki shouted at him. Iruka grit his teeth as he remembered more of the words the Hokage had told him.

_He's never known a parent's love, and is hated by the villagers. So to get attention… he causes a lot of trouble. He wants people to acknowledge his existence, in any way possible. Even though, he finally managed to make a friend after meeting April, they are both treated like outsiders._

"That scroll was used to seal you up!" Mizuki yelled as he grabbed one of the giant shuriken on his back and threw it at Naruto.

"Nooo_!_!" April screamed, rushing towards him.

_He acts tough, but he is truly suffering… They both are._

April threw herself in front of Naruto to shield him.

_RIIP!_!

"Ugh…" Iruka groaned in pain as blood began to dye his flak jacket red around the giant shuriken that was sticking out of his back. Naruto and April's eyes widened in horror as he coughed, and blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. A the very last minute, Iruka had managed to rip himself free and tackle his students to the ground to protect them.

"!" Mizuki grit his teeth, disappointed that he had failed.

"Why…?" Naruto asked, looking torn.

"My… My parents… after they died, there was nobody to compliment me or acknowledge me…" Iruka said, gritting his teeth through the pain. "I always acted like an idiot, just to get people's attention… Since I wasn't good at things like learning and doing homework… it was better than nothing, so I kept acting like an idiot. It was so painful…" He could still remember how it felt to be sitting at home all alone. A tear drop landed on Naruto's face. "Naruto, you also must have been in a lot of pain." Iruka said sorrowfully as tears streamed down his face. "I'm sorry, Naruto. If only I did a better job… you wouldn't have to feel like this. Neither of you would…"

'Iruka-sensei…' April thought, fighting back tears of her own. 'He's had a hard time as well…'

"…" Mizuki grit his teeth. His face twisted into a sneer as he watched the touching scene below. Naruto looked from Iruka to Mizuki, then back at April. She nodded in understanding. She pushed herself up so he could shoot out from under her, taking off with the scroll as fast as he could.

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled.

April quickly pulled herself out from underneath him and hopped to her feet, taking up a defensive stance to protect their injured teacher as Mizuki jumped down to stand before them.

"How sweet. Are you trying to buy time for your little friend to get away?" Mizuki asked April mockingly. "Heheheh. But Naruto isn't the type of person to have a change of heart. And I think he's planning to use that scroll to take revenge on the village. You both saw his eyes earlier, didn't you? The eyes of a real demon."

"Don't move, Sensei." April said coolly, gripping the kunai she had grabbed earlier firmly in her hand. Despite her anger at Mizuki, she appeared calm and collected. "You'll make your injury worse. We both know Naruto isn't like that."

"Guh!" Iruka ignored her advice and reached up to rip the giant shuriken out of his back. "That's right…" He said, grunting, as he forced himself back onto his feet. "It's exactly as you said, April-chan… Naruto won't do that!" He shouted, throwing the giant shuriken back at Mizuki as hard as he could.

"Hmph!" Mizuki dodged the attack with ease. "Well, that doesn't really matter. I'll kill Naruto and get the scroll. I'll take care of you later!" He said, leaping up and away to pursue Naruto.

"Ugh." Iruka fell to his knees again. "I won't let you…!"

"That goes without saying." April agreed determinedly as she pulled out her forehead protector and put it on. "Sensei, I know you're injured, but have an idea…"

–∞–

"I finally found him!" The Third said as he looked into a special crystal ball. "Mizuki told him… Now he is more afraid and unstable than ever before. That power that has been sealed might be released. Plus, he is holding the Scroll of Sealing…" 'The odds of him being able to break the seal and change into the nine-tailed fox are one in a million…' He thought grimly. 'But it is possible… and if that happens…'

–∞–

'Found him!' Iruka thought when he caught sight of Naruto running through the treetops with the large scroll on his back. "Naruto_!_!" He called out, getting the boy's attention as he caught up to him. "What Mizuki said back there was all a lie! He's coming after you! Hurry up and give me the scroll!" Naruto grit his teeth as he pushed off of the branch he was on and shot straight at Iruka, head-butting him.

"Agh!" Iruka grunted in pain as he slammed into the ground, skidding to a rough stop, while Naruto flipped and landed gracefully on his feet.

"Huh?" Iruka said, panting. "Why… Naruto?" He asked weakly, trembling as he struggled to pick himself up. "How did you know I wasn't Iruka?" He demanded darkly, dropping the act as he turned back into his true form as Mizuki. Since when could that kid move like that?

"Heh." Naruto smirked.

"You little—Ah_!_!" Mizuki cried out in pain as two kunai nailed him in the shoulder.

"Because I'm Iruka!" Iruka-sensei said from his perch in the tree above.

"What_!_?" Mizuki exclaimed as he jumped back, holding his injured shoulder. His eyes widened in realization. "Then—"

"That's right!" April shouted with a devious grin as she dropped the transformation jutsu and lunged at him, closing the gap between them in an instant, hitting him with enough power to break his nose. The two of them had worked together to set up an ambush.

"Arrghhh!" Mizuki screamed, sliding backwards from the force of her blow, as he cradled his injured face. That little bitch…!

"Now back off before I really mess you up!" April declared boldly, taking up an offensive position as she waited for another opening while Iruka climbed down from the tree.

"!" The real Naruto's grip tightened on the scroll as he listened from his hiding spot behind another tree. He had thought April was going to stay behind with Iruka-sensei while he ran ahead.

"Hmph! I might have expected this from the _outsider_…" Mizuki sneered as he glared at April and Iruka. "But what good is there in protecting the thing who killed your parents?" He asked Iruka cynically. The wounded man had to lean against the tree just to support himself.

"I'm not going to hand the scroll over to someone like you_!_!" Iruka said through labored breathing, wincing slightly.

"You idiot!" Mizuki snapped. "Naruto and I are the same."

"!" Iruka said. "Same as you?"

"If you use the skills in that scroll, you can do whatever you want_!_!" Mizuki said with a crazed, power-hungry look in his eyes. "There's no way the demon fox wouldn't try to use the power of the scroll!"

"Yeah…" Iruka agreed quietly, shocking Naruto. Naruto furrowed his brow, scowling. That had cut even deeper than he thought it would.

'I knew it…' He thought. "…Even Iruka-sensei, deep down… doesn't acknowledge me." He didn't hear April denying it either.

"The demon fox would do that." Iruka continued. "But Naruto is different… He's… He's an excellent student that I recognize." He finished proudly with a smirk. Naruto bowed his head as he gripped the scroll. "He may not be the hardest worker…" Iruka said. "And he is clumsy, and no one accepts him… but he's earnest and knows the pain of others. He isn't the demon fox. He is a member of the Hidden Leaf Village! He's Naruto Uzumaki_!_!"

"That's right." April agreed with a smirk of her own. "Naruto is my friend. He's like the annoying little brother I never had. I don't care what's inside of him. Naruto is Naruto!" Tears were streaming down Naruto's face as he clutched the scroll, trembling from the strength of the emotions he was feeling.

They really did accept him, April and Iruka-sensei… He wasn't alone anymore!

"…!" Mizuki furrowed his brow and grit his teeth in frustration. There was no getting through to these two… "Well, whatever…" He said, taking another giant shuriken off his back.

"!" Iruka tried to move, but it was too much for him in his current state, and he fell back against the trunk of the tree. "Agh!"

"Don't move, Sensei." April said, pulling the kunai from earlier out of her pocket. "This time, I'll protect you."

"April, don't!"

"Hmph, How touching!" Mizuki sneered. "I said I would take care of the two of you later, but I've changed my mind—_Hurry up and die!_!" He roared, spinning the shuriken as he prepared to throw it. April's grip tightened on the kunai as she braced herself for the attack, but it never came. In an orange blur, Naruto suddenly shot out from behind the tree and head-butted Mizuki with enough force to send the older ninja flying black.

"_!_!" Mizuki and Iruka gasped in surprised as Naruto slid to a halt and stood up straight, resting on hand on the scroll.

"Naruto!" April said, relieved. It was about time! She thought she sensed a fourth person hiding nearby.

"… You shouldn't have done that_!_!" Mizuki said darkly as he picked himself up off the ground. He was sick and tired of these little punks making a fool out of him!

"Don't touch them_!_!" Naruto said fiercely, glaring at Mizuki. "_I'll kill you!_!"

"You idiot_!_!" Iruka yelled anxiously. "Why did you come out_!_!_?_ Run away, both of you_!_!"

"It's all right, Sensei." April said with a smirk as she stepped up to stand beside Naruto. "Together, we can take him down."

"Hahaha! I can kill two brats like you in one shot_!_!" Mizuki laughed mockingly.

"Try it, trash_!_!" Naruto snapped, forming a hand seal. April decided to follow his lead. "I'll return the pain a thousand times over_!_!"

"Then do it, demon fox!" Mizuki snarled.

"!" Iruka gasped when he realized what they up to. It couldn't be…_!_?

"Shadow clone jutsu_!_!" They shouted as the smoke cleared.

"_!_!_!"_ Mizuki yelled, startled to find himself surrounded by ten Aprils and hundreds of Naurtos. "Wha…_!_? What's going on_!_!_?_" He demanded nervously when he realized they had him completely surrounded and hopelessly outmatched. The two of them could barely even make one clone before!

"What's wrong?" Naruto and his shadow clones asked mockingly as they rolled up their sleeves. "Weren't you going to kill us in one shot?"

'Naruto… April…' Iruka thought, stunned by the amazing sight before him. 'You guys have…'

"Well, then… If you won't come to us… Then I guess we'll have to come at you!" April and her shadow clones said with an angel smile on their faces and a devilish gleam in their eyes.

_"Wuaaaaah!"_ Mizuki screamed as they all lunged at him to attack.

WHAM! BAM! WHAM! WHACK!

'Heheh, he really did divide into more than thousand…' Iruka thought proudly as he watched his students beat the crap out of Mizuki. 'Maybe Naruto really will surpass the Hokage… And ten clones isn't bad for someone with April's low chakra. That's a high level technique where you create a real body.' He was impressed the two of were able to pull that off.

"Hehe… Maybe we went a little to too far." Naruto said a bit sheepishly once they had finished wailing on Mizuki. He was out cold, and his once good-looking face was so swollen now that it looked like something only a mother could love.

"Nah." April said dismissively. "He's still breathing, isn't he? More importantly, are you all right, Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Iruka reassured them with a wry smile. 'Wow… Remind me not to get on her bad side…' He thought, sweat-dropping. "Good job, you two." He added as the sun began to rise. "Naruto, come over here. There's something I want to give you."

–∞–

Meanwhile, the other ninjas were still up in arms about Naruto's disappearance and the missing scroll.

"Did anyone find him_!_?"

"No_!_!"

"Damn it_!_! This is bad_!_!"

"He could be far away by now_!_!"

"There's nothing to worry about." The Hokage said as he stepped outside to address them.

"_!_?"

"Hokage-sama?"

"He'll be back soon." The old man said with a knowing smile.

–∞–

"Now, Sensei?" Naruto asked with eyes still closed.

"Okay, you can open your eyes." Iruka said. Naruto opened his eyes to see that Iruka and April were both smiling proudly at him. He noticed Iruka was now holding his goggles, but he could still feel something on his forehead… and Iruka wasn't wearing his own forehead protector anymore.

"Congratulations on graduating_!_!" Iruka told him.

"Lookin' good, Naruto~!" April added with a grin, giving him a thumbs up, as he stared up at them in surprise.

"All right, let's celebrate!" Iruka said brightly. "I buy you some ramen!"

"Eh, shouldn't we get you to the hospital first, Sensei?" April asked, raising an eyebrow. "You lost a lot of blood…"

"Hey, don't underestimate me!" Iruka said with a wry smile. "I'm a veteran shinobi, after all." April laughed. Well, that was a relief.

"Hm?" She said when she noticed how quiet Naruto was. "Naru—"

"Iruka-sensei_!_!" Naruto cried happily, glomping their injured teacher so hard that they both fell to the ground.

"Pfft!" April laughed, covering her mouth, as she watched the heart-warming and somewhat comical scene. 'Good for you, Naruto!' She thought, smiling warmly.

"Ouch! Hey, that hurts!" Iruka said, chagrined. Maybe a trip to the hospital wasn't such a bad idea, after all. 'Well, I was going to lecture them that the hard part of being a shinobi had just begun… but I guess I'll save that for the ramen place…' He thought with a smile.


	4. Chapter3: Sasuke and Sakura

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Sasuke and Sakura**

* * *

"Huaah…!" April yawned and stretched happily when she woke up the morning of the 15th. She was feeling well-rested and refreshed after taking it easy and sleeping all yesterday once she was done taking her graduation picture. She had felt like she was running on empty, but now she was fully charged and ready to take on anything… which was good, because they were supposed to go to school today for an explanatory meeting about what they were supposed to be doing next. "Well, I guess I'd better get dressed and finish packing up our lunches." April said with a smile as she hopped out of bed.

Next door, Naruto was also waking up and rolling out of bed, but he was feeling a bit drowsy after running around all day yesterday with Konohamaru and his closet-pervert of a tutor, Ebisu. Out of habit, Naruto stumbled into his kitchen, made some toast, and poured himself a glass of milk.

–∞–

Meanwhile, the older ninjas were having a meeting of their own. All of the jōnin and chūnin serving as academy teachers and team leaders had been gathered before the Hokage.

"Team 7 will be Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and April Starr." The Hokage announced. There were some murmurs amongst the crowd upon hearing this.

Four genin to one team? That was unusual… Not to mention the members…

"I will be placing Kakashi Hatake in charge of this team." The Hokage continued.

'Kakashi-san?' Iruka thought, concerned. He had heard Kakashi was a very harsh grader when it came to the survival test. Would Naruto and April be all right?

"Got that, Kakashi?" The Hokage asked.

"Sure." Kakashi said casually. They probably wouldn't pass anyway. No one ever did.

"Team 8…" The Hokage said, moving on. "Hinata Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Abarame. Kurenai Yuhi will be in charge of these three."

"Yes, sir." Kurenai said dutifully, standing at attention.

"Kurenai, this is your first time in charge of genin, isn't it?" He asked. "The jōnin in charge will decide their future."

"Yes." She said, nodding in understanding. "I will be careful with them."

"The genin of squad 10… Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chōji Akimichi. I'm placing Asuma Sarutobi in charge of them."

"Understood!" Asuma said confidently.

"Well, that's it for team assignments." The Hokage said. "School will be starting soon. You are all dismissed." Kakashi turned to leave with the others, but he was stopped when the Hokage called out to him again. "Kakashi… I'd like to have a word with you about some of the genin on your team."

–∞–

April and Naruto finished getting ready and emerged from their apartments at about the same time. Their eyes met and they shared a grin.

"Race ya!" Naruto said, taking off at a full sprint.

"You're on!" April said, hot on his trail.

"Ha!" Naruto let out a triumphant laugh when he reached the stairs first, leaping down to the first landing. "What do you think of _that_?"

"I think I'm winning!" April shouted with a grin as she forewent the stairs and leaped onto the rooftop of the neighboring building and hit the ground running.

"Ah! No way!" Naruto yelled in dismay as he quickly scrambled to catch up.

"Haha!" April grinned as she jumped again, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair for a brief moment before picking up speed.

"How can someone so weak be so fast_!_?" Naruto complained, huffing as he tried to keep up with her.

" 'Morning!" April greeted the Hokage and the silver-haired ninja wearing a chūnin/jōnin uniform who was with him as she touched down on the road next to them, taking off like a shot.

'Oh, I can see an after image…' Kakashi thought, a little impressed. She wasn't even using any chakra to enhance her movements.

"Hey, wait up_!_!" Naruto shouted after her, sprinting past them as if he hadn't even noticed their presence. He must have been too focused on catching her.

'That one doesn't seem to be very mindful of his surroundings.' Kakashi noted. The girl with purple hair had this in the bag.

"Hmm. I see those two are just as energetic as always." The Hokage remarked.

"They do this often?" Kakashi asked. Now that he thought of it, he did remember being passed once or twice by those two kids before…

"Almost everyday." The Hokage answered with a smirk as he took a puff on his pipe. They were a bit early today, though. They must be excited about graduating… "Come, our destination is just a little further ahead."

–∞–

"Hehe." Naruto grinned as he rested his head on the desk in the classroom. April smiled. He was so pumped about their first meeting as genin, that he didn't even care that he had lost the race. They had gotten there a little early, but the class was almost full now. Iruka-sensei should arrive soon to get them started.

"Huh?" Shikamaru said, pausing on his way to find an empty seat when he spotted Naruto sitting between April and Sasuke. "Why are you here?" He asked him. "Today's explanatory meeting is only for those who graduated."

"Hey, hey, can't you see this forehead protector?" Naruto retorted, pointing his thumb at the one he was wearing.

"Yeah, check it." April said, motioning to it like a professional hand model.

"Starting today, I'm also a ninja." Naruto said proudly.

"Hmm?" Shikamaru said, sounding skeptical.

"You wanna hear the story?" April asked. "Though, I doubt you'll believe it…"

"Huh?" Naruto said, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion as he glanced at her. "Why wouldn't he?"

'Naruto-kun was able to graduate…' Hinata thought happily, blushing shyly as she watched their exchange from across the classroom.

"Hey, will you let me through_!_?" Sakura asked as she walked up to them with her hands on her hips.

"!" Naruto instantly perked up. 'Sakura-chan~_!_!' He thought happily, blushing slightly.

"How about a 'please' first?" April deadpanned. She knew Naruto liked Sakura, but April didn't appreciate it when people asked her for favors with such bossy attitudes, especially since Sakura probably just wanted to sit next to Sasuke. Personally, she didn't understand why he was so popular. Sure, he had a nice face, but more than half the time she wanted to put a bag over that personality of his.

"Please?" Saukra said with a tense smile, trying to look cute in front of Sasuke.

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" April said, shrugging, as she stood up and moved out of the way, deciding to let the younger girl through after all.

'Could it be she wants to… sit next to me…?' Naruto thought excitedly, still caught up in his own little dream world.

"Naruto_!_! Move your ass_!_!" Sakura snapped impatiently, dropping her cutesy façade when he failed to move out of her way. "I want to sit on the other side of you_!_!"

"Huh_!_?" Naruto said, sweat-dropping. What was with the sudden change in attitude…? April let out a sigh.

'I knew it…' She thought with a wry smile. 'Poor Naruto…' She watched as he whipped his head around to glare at Sasuke.

'Ugh! This guy… he was the most popular in our class…' Naruto thought, clearly disgruntled that _he_ was the center of Sakura's attention. Sasuke Uchiha… the guy he hated more than anyone!

"What?" Sasuke asked when he sensed Naruto staring.

"What do you mean, _what!_?" Naruto snapped, chagrined.

"Now, now…" April said calmly. 'Let's not start a fight before the teacher even gets here…'

"Sasuke-kun~! Can I sit next to you_!_?" Sakura asked brightly, quickly shoving a surprised Naruto out of the way.

"Are you all right?" April asked him. Sakura seriously needed to chill.

"Barely…" Naruto grumbled as Sakura scooted past him to settle down next to Sasuke, acting completely oblivious to his pain.

'Damn that Sakura…!' The other girls in the classroom thought jealously, glaring daggers at the pink-haired girl.

'Today I'm going to get Sasuke-kun~' Sakura thought happily, blushing as she gazed lovingly at the indifferent boy. 'Cha! And I'm going to steal his first kiss_!_!' Inner Sakura declared confidently with gleaming eyes, pumping her fist.

'Her eyes say it all…' Naruto and April thought, sweat-dropping. She couldn't be more obvious. And Sasuke couldn't be less interested…

'What's so good about that guy…?' Naruto wondered as he hopped up on the desk, crouching down to stare Sasuke directly in the face. '… I just don't get it…' Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the silent challenge.

'Well, this looks like it has 'disaster' written all over it…' April thought, wondering if she should intervene or just let it play out.

"Naruto_!_! Leave Sasuke-kun alone_!_!" Sakura yelled at him with a vein throbbing on his forehead.

'Way to toss some kerosene on that fire, Sakura-chan!' April thought with a wry smile as the stare escalated into a glare that was so potent, you could practically see sparks of animosity flying between the two boys.

_"Grrr…!"_ Sasuke and Naruto growled at each other with their faces only inches apart. Neither one of them wanted to back down.

"Kick his ass, Sasuke-kun_!_!" Some of other girls cheered, egging them on.

_"Shut it."_ April said firmly, shooting the idiots a sharp look to shut them up. Those guys didn't need any encouragement!

"No way, really_!_?" The boy sitting in the row in front of Sasuke's seat exclaimed, knocking Naruto off balance as he swung his arm back, too focused on his own conversation to realize what was going on behind him.

"Ah…" April said as the other girls froze, like they had been turned to stone by the shocking scene before them.

"Oops, sorry about that!" The clueless troublemaker said, turning around. He stopped cold when he saw what he had done. When Naruto fell, he had been too close to Sasuke, and they ended up locking lips…

Sasuke… and Naruto… were… _kissing!_!

"Wha…" Sakura said numbly as her brain finally began to get over the initial shock and register the information her eyes were taking in. "WHAAAA—_!_?" She screamed as her mind imploded, nearly fainting. The two boys immediately separated, gagging, as they made a show of trying to rid of the other's germs after their little accidental 'kiss'.

"…!" April nearly bit her tongue in half with the effort of holding her in laughter. She felt bad for Naruto, losing his first kiss to his worst enemy... but you had to admit, from an outsider's point of view, it looked pretty freakin' hilarious—especially Sakura's reaction!

"Yuck_!_!" Naruto cried, on the verge of throwing up. "My mouth is rotting_!_!"

"Naruto, you moron_!_!" Sasuke growled, feeling mentally and physically scarred. "I'm going to kill you_!_!" April was visibly shaking now.

'Huh?' Naruto thought, freezing, as he suddenly broke out into a nervous sweat. 'I sense something bad…' Naruto flinched when he saw the open hostility in the eyes of every other girl in the class. If looks alone could kill, he'd already be 600ft under by now…!

"Naruto…!" They growled like feral cats, starting to close in.

_BAM!_

"_!_!" They all flinched and took a cautious step back when April slammed her hand on the desk and shot them a fierce warning glare not to encroach on her territory any further. The class idiot was under her protection!

"It was just an accident. No one has a problem with that, _right_?" She said pointedly, sending shivers down their spines with her icy blue eyes. The girls all quickly shook their heads. "Good." April said with a brilliant shit-eating grin. "In that case, maybe you should go back to your seats… Do I have to _count_?" That sent them running. Those girls were back in their seats in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, there was still one girl who was way too angry to be affected, and while April was busy taking care of the others, she used it as her chance to strike.

"It wasn't my fault, I swear_!_!" Naruto said nervously.

"Naruto… you are… _annoying!_!" Sakura said darkly with a deadly look in her eye as a vein throbbed on her temple, cracking her knuckles.

"Eh…" Naruto said as tears began to form in the corners of his eyes and cold sweat poured down his face. Sakura was so transformed by her anger that she barely even looked human anymore!

WHAM! BAM! SMACK!

"!" April gasped when she turned back and saw the pink-haired girl wailing on Naruto. "Sa-ku-ra-_chan._" She said in a dangerous tone of voice, making the younger girl freeze in her tracks when she realized she had been caught.

"But he—_!_!" Sakura started to protest.

"Do you want _me_ to get involved, Sakura-chan?" April asked with a scary smile that said 'touch-him-again-and-you'll-need-surgery-if-you-ever-want-to-see-your-forehead-protector-again.' Sakura immediately released Naruto and sat back down.

'Cha! But it's not 'cuz I'm scared or anything…_!_!' Inner Sakura shouted shakily.

"Th-Thanks…" Naruto said weakly, a little dazed from Sakura's mean right hook.

"Don't mention it." April said with a friendly smile, as if it were nothing, as Iruka-sensei entered the room, ready to begin.

"Starting today, all of you are officially shinobi." Iruka told his class proudly. "But you are all still new genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has just started. Now that you can start accepting missions, you will be divided up into groups of three… with the exception of one group, which will have four because we had an odd number of students graduate this year…" He said with a quick glance up at April and Naruto. "And each team will have a jōnin sensei. You will follow your sensei's instructions in order to successfully complete your missions."

'Oh, so that's how they're going to do it…' April thought. 'I'd prefer it if Naruto was on my team, but either way, this could be a good way for him to make new friends.'

'Tch… Three man teams? That only means more people in my way.' Sasuke thought cynically.

'I just have to be in the same team as… Sasuke-kun_!_!' Sakura thought determinedly, clenching her fist.

'Hmm… I want to be with Sakura-chan and April…' Naruto thought. 'Anyone besides Sasuke!'

"We tried to balance each team's strength." Iruka sensei added.

"What_!_!_?_" Virtually the entire class yelled incredulously. If they were all balanced, then how were they supposed to get an edge_!_?

'Is it really that surprising?' April wondered, raising an eyebrow. It only made sense. Having weaker students train with stronger students would help the weaker students get stronger, and if the teams were balanced, then no one had to worry about ending up on a 'weak' team. She thought was a good thing.

Iruka began announcing the teams and calling the names of all the people on them. Team 1, Team 3, Team 4… The names just seemed to fly by, until finally…

"Okay, next is the special team of four I mentioned earlier, Team 7." Iruka said, pausing for dramatic effect. Everyone still left seemed to perk up after hearing that. "April Starr."

"All right!" April said with a smile. She had a good feeling about this. "Seven is my lucky number."

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Ah." Naruto said, sitting up.

"Sakura Haruno."

"Yeah_!_!" Naruto cheered excitedly, high-fiving April, while Sakura hung her head in disappointment.

'I'm stuck with those two_!_? I'm doomed…' Sakura thought gloomily.

"Cheer up, Sakura-chan!" April said. "You're on the 'special' team."

'Yeah, 'special ed'…_!_!' Inner Sakura growled.

"And Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka concluded.

"Hell yeah_!_!" Sakura cheered, completely revived. Salvation, thy name is Sasuke-kun!

'Looks like pretty much everyone got what they wanted, except Sasuke-kun.' April mused with a wry smile, taking note of the annoyed expression on his normally stoic face.

"Iruka-sensei_!_!" Naruto shouted abruptly, shooting out of his seat.

'Uh-oh. I guess I spoke too soon…' April thought, sweat-dropping.

"Why does an outstanding shinobi like me… have to be on the same team as that prick over there_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded hotly as he pointed straight at Sasuke, earning himself a glare from Sakura.

'My, what a convenient memory you possess, Naruto-kun…!' April thought as her head slipped off the hand she had been leaning against. Did he already completely forget the part where he almost didn't pass at all?

"Sasuke's grades were the best of all twenty-seven graduates." Iruka informed him. "And yours… were _dead last…_ You do understand we have to do this to balance the teams, right?"

'Wait a minute… then what does that say about me and Sakura?' April wondered dubiously, sweat-dropping.

"Che. Just don't get in my way, Dead Last." Sasuke said, furrowing his brow in annoyance. Naruto grit his teeth and trembled with anger as the rest of the class laughed.

"What did you call me_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded incredulously, daring him to say it again.

"Give it a rest, Naruto_!_!" Sakura snapped with a vein throbbing on her temple as she took a swing at him.

"Ah! April!"

"Sorry, Naruto. But you walked right into this one." April said with a sigh. Iruka sweat-dropped as he watched them.

'Let's hope this'll work out…' He thought as he moved onto the next team. 'Even with Naruto…'

–∞–

"So, this is where the 'outsider' lives?" Kakashi asked, glancing around, as they let themselves in. Like April's hair, it was very colorful inside. There was a little strategic clutter here and there, but it was pretty clean and well organized otherwise. You could tell a girl lived there. "Is it true that she's really from another world?"

"Yes, at least, as far as we can tell." The Hokage replied. "I had Ibiki interview her when she first 'arrived', and as unbelievable and impossible as her story sounded, he said she was telling the truth about everything. And this was confirmed by Inoichi Yamanaka."

"Inoichi Yamanaka, huh?" Kakashi said thoughtfully. "I guess there's no doubt then…" This world was full of stranger things than he had imagined.

"She was also examined by a medical squad. At first glance, there's nothing different about her from the average girl her age, but her chakra levels are well below average. Frankly, I'm amazed she can use any ninjutsu or genjutsu at all. You'll see what I mean once you've had time to read her file." The Third continued. "Despite her disadvantage, she's a fast learner and a hard worker. She's a bit strange, but she seems like a good kid. As you can see from the contents of her fridge, she does a lot of cooking. I heard from Iruka that she's been making school lunches for Naruto. The two of them became friends shortly after she moved in here, and she's been looking out for him ever since. I suppose they found a common bond as two outsiders looking in…"

"I see…" Kakashi said as he took the invitation to examine the fridge. It's contents were well balanced. All of the important major food groups were well represented. Closing it, he spared a glance at the rest of the kitchenette and noticed there were some dinner plates still in the drying rack. One was still wet, probably the one she had used for breakfast, but the other two were dry. She must feeding Naruto dinner, too.

"Come, Naruto lives right next door." The Hokage said, leading the way to the door.

"That picture…" Kakashi said, pausing when they passed the Starr family photo on the way out. It was the only actual photograph in the apartment. It looked old and slightly faded, but the man, woman, and child in the picture all looked very happy. He knew they were a family with just one look. The little girl, who was probably only four or five, was the spitting image of her mother, aside from the pale-brown hair and sky-blue eyes, which she had obviously inherited from her father.

"Oh, that's April with her parents." The Hokage said. Of course, she was much older now, but even so, she almost looked like a completely different person after dying her hair light purple.

"They must be worried about her." Kakashi said.

"… They died when she was five." The Hokage said solemnly as he opened the door and stepped out of the apartment. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.

'So she's an orphan, too…' He thought. That was probably another reason why she started looking after Naruto. She understood some of what he was going through.

"She was raised by an uncle after that, but from what I've heard, he wasn't much of a parent to her." The Hokage stated, frowning slightly in disapproval, as they finished exiting and moved onto Naruto's apartment next.

"… Why did you allow her to become a ninja in our village?"

The Hokage paused with his hand on the doorknob.

"Hm. If you ask her why she wanted to become one in the first place, then you'll understand." He answered with the hint of a smile as he turned the knob and opened the door.

"And, this is where Naruto lives?" Kakashi said as they entered the noticeably dirtier apartment. The fridge was virtually empty, and the kitchen drawers were stuffed with containers of instant ramen. 'What a huge difference…' He thought as he picked up the milk carton that had been left out on the table. 'This milk went bad a couple of days ago…' The two kids clearly didn't eat breakfast together, because he was sure someone as on top of it as April would have made Naruto toss the expired milk in the trash if she knew he still had it.

"Yes." The Hokage said, sitting down in the chair at the table. "Naruto isn't very smart, but I think giving him to you is best. He and April are both 'unique' children that we need to keep an eye on, and you have a nose for these types. Plus, your team will also have Sasuke of _the _Uchiha clan." He added. "Good luck!"

"Yes, sir." Kakashi said, sweat-dropping. The last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, an idiot, and a girl with low chakra and incredible speed… 'This could be troublesome…'


	5. Chapter4: Friend or Foe

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Friend or Foe?**

* * *

"Okay, this afternoon we'll introduce your jōnin senseis." Iruka said with a tense smile. Team 7 (well, mostly Naruto and Sakura) had been really noisy throughout the rest the team assignments. "Until then, take a break."

"Hey, Naruto, why don't you go invite Sakura to join us?" April suggested as everyone began dispersing for lunch.

"Eh_!_?" Naruto said, blushing a little bit as his heart skipped a beat at the thought. "You don't mind?"

"Well, she's a little annoying, but since we're a team we might as well try to get along, right?" April said with a small smile. "I'll be waiting with our bentos in the usual place.

"Yeah_!_!" Naruto said excitedly as he jumped up to go find Sakura. "Great idea!"

'He hasn't realized that means I'll also be inviting Sasuke yet, has he?' She thought wryly as she stood up and left to find their fourth teammate. 'Oh, well. He probably won't agree to it anyway…'

–∞–

Kakashi finished his visit to April and Naruto's apartments with plenty of time to spare. He was leaning against the side of the top level of a building near the ninja academy, looking at his bells and remembering his old team and how they had to pass a test similar to the one he was about to give, when he spotted a pair of familiar purple pigtails bouncing around on the ground below.

"Hey, Sasuke!" April called out, giving him a friendly wave as she approached the stoic Uchiha.

"No, I don't want to go out with you." Sasuke stated bluntly, furrowing his brow in annoyance as he shot her a look that would send any normal girl running.

"Well, that's a relief." April deadpanned in response, completely unfazed. He must have wandered to the edge of the school grounds in an attempt to shake his rabid fans. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in younger guys. I just wanted to invite you to eat lunch with us, since we're on the same team now."

'Oh, she's trying to lay some groundwork before our meeting. Not a bad idea.' Kakashi thought.

"Eat with you and that _loser_? No thanks." Sasuke said rudely, turning his back on her. A vein throbbed on April's temple.

"Hey!" She yelled after him. "I know you've been through something no person should ever have to go through…" Sasuke stopped. "But just because something horrible happened to you doesn't give you the right to be horrible to everyone else. Everyone's fighting their own battle! We all have dead people. So stop being such a victim and act more like what you are—a survivor!"

"Are you done?" Sasuke asked coldly, shooting her a glare over his shoulder before continuing on his way. She had no idea what she was talking about… everyone always said they understood, but they never did. She wasn't any different from the rest!

"Ah…!" April gasped in realization once he had rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, falling down into a squatting position as she held her head. "What the heck am I doing? You came here to make friends not, enemies!" She scolded herself.

"…" Kakashi stared down at her and watched as she picked herself up and walked off to go meet up with the others. What an interesting kid. Maybe he should take the opportunity to see what the rest of his team was like while he was at it…

"Hm?" April said, stopping for a moment to look around when she got the feeling she was being followed. She looked up, down, and all around, but didn't see anyone. 'Guess I just imagined it…' She thought with a shrug as she kept going.

'Not bad. I guess I'll have to keep my chakra suppressed around this one.' Kakashi thought as he slipped out of his hiding place and continued to follow her.

"No luck?" April asked as Naruto walked up, swinging her feet off the edge of the roof.

"Hmph! She said I was annoying, and she'd rather eat with Sasuke_!_!" He grumbled, scowling as he plopped down beside her. "What's for lunch today? Something normal, or some of that weird foreign food you like?"

"Don't take it out on me just because you're upset." April said calmly as she handed over his bento. "And I seem to recall you liking a lot of that 'weird foreign food', like pizza, omelet with rice, hamburgers, Salisbury steak, macaroni and cheese…"

"Okay, okay!" Naruto said as he opened his box. He got the point! "Hey, Octopus sausages and fried rice!" He said, lighting up. '… And veggies." He finished, deflating slightly.

"Of course! You need to eat a well-balanced diet, or you'll suffer from malnutrition." She stated reasonably. "Why do you think you're so short? It's because all you ever eat is ramen."

"Hey_!_! Lay off me, will ya_!_?" Naruto said defensively, flinching in shock. "I drank some milk this morning!"

'So he did drink it…' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping.

"Oh, so you bought some new milk while you were out yesterday?" April asked, surprised.

"Huh?" Naruto said, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Why would I do that?"

"Because it was rotten." She said pointedly.

"But it tasted fine." Naruto insisted. April stared at him, appalled.

"… There is something seriously wrong with your taste buds, my friend." She told him, sweat-dropping. "I'm amazed you're still okay."

"This lunch is good, too." Naruto said as if he hadn't heard her, scarfing it down.

"Th-Thanks…" She said a bit hesitantly, starting to wonder about her cooking skills. She couldn't trust Naruto's judgment on taste anymore… "Don't eat so fast, or you'll choke." She chided him, handing him a can from the vending machine. "Here, have some juice."

'She's really mothering him…' Kakashi, observed. While some people might consider that a good thing, especially since Naruto didn't get much of that growing up, there was a danger he might become too dependent on her if she started doing too much for him.

"By the way, why did you let Sakura hit me before?" Naruto asked.

"Well, if I saved you every time, you'd never learn from your mistakes." April replied matter-of-factly.

On second thought, maybe Kakashi didn't have to worry about that after all.

"But that happens a lot." Naruto said frowning.

"That's because you make the same mistake like five times." She stated calmly.

"Well, I want to be sure!" Naruto said defensively.

'Sure of what?' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping.

"Oh, look. It's the prince of darkness himself." April said, changing the subject when she spotted Sasuke eating some rice balls on the roof of the building opposite them, leaning against the window ledge of one of the rooms they used to store sports equipment in.

"Hehe, I've got a great idea…" Naruto said with an evil grin.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking, and I'd have to disagree... but since you won't listen to me anyway… have fun!" April said with a smile and a little wave. "I'm just gonna sit here and finish my lunch."

"All right, see you later_!_!" Naruto said with a grin as he jumped down to the next level.

"Don't forget to come back for the rest of the meeting!" She called after him. "Hmm… This is either going to be a great success, or he's gonna have a great story to tell…" April shrugged. "Oh, well. Either way, I have a front row seat, so I guess I'm about to see something 'great'." She said with a smile, eating another bite of fried rice.

April and Kakashi both watched as Naruto snuck up on Sasuke from behind and pulled him inside through the window.

"Argh! Damn you, Naruto_!_!" Sasuke yelled as the sounds of a struggle were heard.

"Don't resist_!_!" Naruto shouted.

'Oh, wow. That sounds so wrong after that accidental kiss earlier…' April thought with a wry smile. And then, silence fell over the room for a moment before the victor emerged.

"Hehe… idiot." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"…" April said furrowing her brow slightly. 'Well, that could be anyone…' She had her answer when 'Sasuke' paused to shoot her a grin and a 'V' for victory before hurrying on his way.

'So, that one was Naruto.' She and Kakashi thought. That was a little unexpected.

'Naruto must've used the shadow clone jutsu again.' April thought. 'I wonder what he did to him, though…' She packed up the empty bento boxes and jumped down and over to have a look for herself. "Pfft!" She bit her lip to keep from laughing too much. Naruto had strung Sasuke up like a Christmas turkey and slapped some tape over his mouth. 'Oh, man! I wish I had a camera…!' She thought as Sasuke glared up at her. "Hey, don't look at me. It wasn't my idea." She told him. "But… maybe if you make an effort to be a little bit nicer, I might consider not only untying you, but I won't breathe a word of this to anyone else." She suggested slyly. Of course, what Naruto did was his own business. Sasuke furrowed his brow. "I'll take that as a yes." She said, smiling brightly, as she climbed in through the window to untie him. While April took care of that, Kakashi decided to see what Naruto was up to.

When he found Naruto, who was still transformed to look like Sasuke, he was sitting on a bench with Sakura.

"Sakura, there's something I was to ask you." Naruto said.

"Huh?" Sakura said, blushing.

"Ah, well… what do you think of Naruto?" He asked a bit nervously.

"Naruto?" She asked. Why did he want to talk about that? "He's always getting in the way when I want to do something important." She said bitterly, referring mainly to her attempts to get close to him(Sasuke). "He enjoys seeing me suffer. Naruto doesn't understand anything about me, he's just annoying. All I want… is for you to acknowledge me." She said, looking up at him. "I'm serious about this. I would do anything… because I like you a lot."

'S-Sakura-chan…' Naruto thought, blushing, as she moved in to kiss him/Sasuke, but before he could meet her the rest of the way, something went terribly wrong deep in his gut. "_!_!" He gasped, flinching, as his stomach did a flip and his bowels let out a warning growl. It was so loud that even Kakashi could hear it from the tree he was hiding behind, but Sakura was so wrapped up in her little fantasy, that she hadn't even noticed. Naruto wrapped his arms around his torso as he stood up, as if that would help hold it in.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, wondering why he was suddenly trying to leave.

"I-I'll be right back…!" He said, making a run for it. It felt like his butt was about to explode! 'Diarrhea, at a time like this_!_?' He cried internally.

'That look on his face…' Kakashi thought as he watched Naruto run away while somehow managing to hold the transformation. 'The expired milk must have finally gotten to him.'

"Phew…" April breathed a quiet sigh of relief. 'For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to jump out and intervene… That would've been awkward.' Sakura might be a little annoying, but no matter how much Naruto liked her, it was totally wrong to steal a girl's first kiss while pretending to be someone you weren't.

"!" Kakashi said a little surprised to see her there. She was only a few trees over, but she had somehow managed to slip in without him noticing. Was it just a fluke? Either way, he had to give her points for stealth. She had concealed her presence well. He might not have even realized she was there if it wasn't for that sigh. It looked like she was about to try to sneak away, when Sasuke came back. Only, this time, it was the real one.

'Oh, great. Now I'm stuck.' April thought, chagrined.

"Honestly! You're so shy, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said playfully. "I hope you're ready now, because I sure am_!_!"

"I have to go." Sasuke said brusquely. "Where's Naruto?" April had run off the moment she released him in case he was still mad about being tied up.

"Hehe, don't change the subject." She said with a forced smile, tensing. Not this again! "Who cares about Naruto? All he does is pick fights with you! It's probably because he wasn't raised properly. He doesn't have parents, you know!" Sasuke stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened slightly in shock. "That's why he always gets to do what he wants." She continued, completely oblivious to the adverse effect her words were having on Sasuke. "If I tried to do that, my parents would yell at me. It's so nice to be alone! You don't have any parents to pester you. That's why he gets to be as selfish as he is."

'Is she serious…?' April thought, furrowing her brow. Did she forget who she was talking to? Sasuke didn't have any parents either…

"Loneliness…" Sasuke said darkly.

"Huh?" Sakura said, puzzled. Why did he suddenly have such a scary look on his face…?

"It's far worse than feeling sad because your parent scolded you!" He said sternly as he turned away from her.

"Wh-What's wrong? What's this about?" Sakura asked, not understanding what she did wrong. Sasuke glanced back at her over his shoulder with a harsh glare in his eyes.

"You're… annoying." He told her coldly. Sakura stared after him as he walked away, stunned. She sat back down on the bench, staring down at her feet.

'Sasuke's words seem to have hurt her pretty badly.' Kakashi observed.

'I wonder if this is what Naruto felt like…' She thought sadly, remembering how she had basically done the same thing to him earlier. "Maybe next time… I can be a little nicer to him."

'Well, it looks like she may have learned her lesson…' April thought, rubbing the back of her neck. Well, she was pretty sure Sakura didn't mean to be as callous as she came off… she was just lucky enough to be ignorant of how it felt to go through that kind of hardship.

'Hm?' Kakashi thought, a little surprised when April stepped out of her hiding place to talk to her.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Eh? April-san_!_! Where did you come from_!_?" Sakura asked, startled. How long had she been there_!_?

"… I know we don't exactly get along, Sakura-chan… but if you like Sasuke, then you shouldn't say stuff like that around him. For some people, the word 'alone' is the most awful word in their dictionary. Murder doesn't hold a candle to it, and hell is only a poor synonym…"

"…" Sakura said, staring at her with wide eyes. "Wh-What are you talking about_!_? You are so weird_!_!" She exclaimed, grabbing her lunch and running away.

'Sakura doesn't get it at all…' Kakashi thought, shaking his head.

'Geez… You try to give someone a little friendly advice, and they treat you like a freak!' April thought with a huff. All she did was loosely quote Stephen King… Maybe it was her bad paraphrasing? "Whatever, if she can't understand that much, she'll never understand that little ball of angst she has such a huge crush on." She said with a shrug, deciding to just head back to the classroom.

"They're amusing, but they lack teamwork." Kakashi commented as he stepped out into the open. "I don't think they can pass my test."


	6. Chapter5: Kakashi

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Kakashi Hatake**

* * *

"Hmm…" Naruto frowned as he leaned out through the open doorway of their classroom, looking for any signs of life.

"Naruto, stay still_!_!" Sakura scolded him. His fidgeting was starting to get on her nerves.

"But, why is the sensei of our Team 7... so damn late_!_!_?_" He asked impatiently. "All the other teams have gone off with their teachers. And Iruka-sensei also left…"

"How am I supposed to know?" Sakura said, crossing her arms.

"I wonder if he got assigned to a last minute mission, and they forgot to tell Iruka-sensei?" April mused aloud. "Or maybe…"

"Maybe?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe this is some sort of psychological test." She said with a serious gleam in her eye.

"Huh?" Sakura said as she and Naruto gave her almost identical looks of confusion and doubt.

"Just hear me out. One of my uncle's acquaintances was a professor of psychology, and something he used to do on the first day of class was to purposefully wait to see what the students would do if he didn't show up on time. That way, he would know right away who was serious and who wasn't by who was still left when he came in. And shinobi are supposed to endure, right? Maybe our sensei wants to see how well we endure being kept waiting." April explained.

"Aren't you just overthinking it?" Sakura said skeptically.

"No, that would make sense." Sasuke said thoughtfully. April was smarter than she looked. "He could be doing this on purpose."

"Sasuke-kun, you're so smart!" Sakura gushed.

'But it was my idea…' April thought, slightly chagrined. "Ah, hey, Naruto… what are you doing?" She asked when she noticed that he was doing something he probably shouldn't.

"Hehehe!" Naruto laughed with a mischievous grin on his face as he rigged the door so that a dirty chalkboard eraser would fall on the next person who tried to enter. "That's what you get for being late!" He said, hopping off of the stool he had pulled over to give himself a boost.

"Hey, were you even listening just now?" April asked him, sweat-dropping. She said this could be some kind of test, and _that_ was his reaction?

"Geez, it's your own fault if you get in trouble." Sakura told him, putting her hands on her hips. 'I actually like these types of things_!_!' Inner Sakura said excitedly.

"Hmph. A jōnin isn't going to fall for such a simple booby trap." Sasuke said coolly.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Sasuke on this one." April said frankly. There's no way someone qualified enough to take on A-rank missions was going to fall for that. Just as she finished speaking, a gloved hand reached in to slide the door open. It paused for a fraction of a second before opening the rest of the way as the silver-haired ninja wearing the cloth mask covering the lower half of his face that she had seen with the Hokage that morning poked his head in through the opening.

_PLOP._

"!" He said, sweat-dropping when the eraser hit him square on the head, powdering his hair with a pouf of white chalk dust.

'No way…' April thought s she stared at him, stunned. Did he just…?

"Gyahahaha_!_!_!_" Naruto laughed loudly. Success_!_! "You fell for it_!_!_!_"

"I'm so sorry, Sensei," Sakura said, acting timid, "I tried to stop him, but Naruto-kun…" 'Okay_!_!' Inner Sakura cheered, giving two thumbs up. It was even better than she had imagined!

"I thought you would dodge…" April said. What a way to make a first impression on the guy who would basically be controlling their future from now on…

'… This is really a jōnin? He doesn't seem very reliable…' Sasuke thought, chagrined.

"Hmm… How can I say this…?" Their new sensei said thoughtfully with a smile as he held his chin. "My first impression is… I don't like you guys_!_!" He finished rather bluntly.

"…" They all said as they stared at him, sweat-dropping, as they were filled with a sense of doom. Well, yeah… anyone would probably say that after what just happened, but it didn't inspire much confidence in the future…

–∞–

"Okay, let's begin with some introductions." Their new sensei said after a change of venue.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asked.

"How about… your likes, dislikes… dreams for the future, hobbies. Stuff like that." He suggested nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Hey, hey, why don't you introduce yourself to us first_!_?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, you look suspicious…" Sakura agreed.

'You didn't have to say that out loud, Sakura-chan…' April thought, sweat-dropping.

"Oh, me? I'm Kakashi Hatake." He replied easily. "I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future…? Hmm… Well, I have lots of hobbies."

"So, all we learned… is his name?" Sakura asked her teammates, chagrined.

"Yeah." Naruto said, sweat-dropping.

"Well, at least we know what to call him now…" April said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Now it's your turn, starting from the right." Kakashi told them.

"Me_!_! Me_!_! My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto said excitedly, playing with his forehead protector. "I like cup ramen_!_! What I like even more is the Ichiraku Ramen Iruka-sensei buys me. What I dislike is having to wait three minutes for the cup ramen to cook."

'Does he think about anything besides ramen?' Kakashi wondered.

"My dream… is to surpass the Hokage_!_!_!_ And then, have all the people in this village acknowledge my existence_!_!" Naruto declared proudly. April smiled. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly for a moment.

'He's grown in an interesting way…' He thought.

"Hobbies… pranks I guess." Naruto finished.

'I see…' Kakashi thought, running a hand through his hair. No wonder… "Next."

"I'm April Starr." April said with a pleasant smile. "I like lots of things, but I guess I'll go with sweets, manga, games, and the smell after rain. My dislikes are when the ice in a drink attacks my face all at once, and when people make fun of my name."

'When the ice 'attacks her face'?' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping. That was an interesting way of putting it…

"Huh? Why would people make fun of your name?" Naruto asked, furrowing his brow.

"Because my name is 'April', but I was born in February." She explained. "You see, my mom thought she was something of a poet. April means 'to open', as in the blooming flowers of spring, right? And my family name 'Starr' literally means 'star'. So the rough meaning of my name is 'opening/blooming star'. My parents put a lot of thought into my name, so it pisses me off when people make fun of it, because it feels like they're making fun of them, too."

"Oh…" Naruto said, not really sure what else to say. That was a lot deeper than he had been expecting. "I like your name."

"Thanks!" She said brightly. "I do, too. Hmm… as for my dream for the future… to keep improving and getting stronger without compromising myself, and to be happy, I guess. My hobbies are… listening to music, singing, dancing, cooking, playing games, reading, practicing ninja skills, and collecting free prizes from snacks/promotions."

'Hmm… This one is also pretty interesting.' Kakashi thought. 'She seems pretty happy-go-lucky, but she's actually rather mature and responsible for her age.' "Next."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke introduced himself coolly. There are tons of things I dislike, but I don't really like anything. And… I don't want to use the word 'dream', but… I have an ambition." He stated gravely with a dark and dangerous look in his eyes. "The resurrection of my clan and… to kill a certain man." A moment of absolute silence followed his heavy words as the others all stared at him.

'_Dude_…' April thought, sweat-dropping. Talk about intense…

'He better not mean me…' Naruto thought, sweating nervously.

'Cool~!' Sakura thought, blushing slightly.

'… As I thought…' Kakashi thought seriously, furrowing his brow slightly. "Okay… and lastly…" He said aloud, glancing at Sakura.

"I'm Sakura Haruno." She introduced herself with a smile. "The thing I like is… Well the person I like is… Umm… should I say my dream for the future…?" She said, blushing as she kept glancing at Sasuke. "Kya_!_!" She squealed at the thought of being Sasuke's bride.

"…" Kakashi and April sweat-dropped.

"The thing I dislike… is Naruto." Sakura stated adamantly, causing poor Naruto to flinch in shock. "My hobby is…" She said, glancing at Sasuke again with a dreamy expression on her face.

'Stalking…?' April thought, sweat-dropping. She wouldn't be surprised if it really was.

'That's right… girls around her age are more interested in love than ninjutsu…' Kakashi thought with an internal sigh, glancing between Sakura and April. Was the difference of two years? No, probably not. After all, April wasn't exactly a normal girl. The Hokage had said she was a little different. "Okay! That's enough of that." He said. "We will start our duties tomorrow."

"Yay_!_! Duties_!_! Duties_!_! What kinds of duties_!_!_?_" Naruto asked excitedly.

"First we are going to do something with just the five of us." Kakashi said.

"What_!_? What_!_?" Naruto asked, on the edge of his seat.

"Survival training." Kakashi answered.

"Survival training?" Naruto asked, looking disappointed.

'Is this some kind of team work building exercise?' April wondered. If so, that was probably a good idea, because their group's dynamic could probably really use some work before accepting any actual mission.

"…" Sasuke said, brooding.

"Why is our duty training?" Sakura asked. "We did enough training at the ninja academy."

"My JDK instructor used to say there was no such thing as too much training. The more you sweat during training, the less blood you lose in battle." April said sagely.

"Sound like she had a good teacher…' Kakashi thought. He had read about the info she gave on Jeet Kune Do in her file. Although the description was just a brief summary, it had sounded like a very practical fighting style. He might have to watch out for that. "I'm your opponent, but this isn't normal training." He told them.

"?" April raised an eyebrow at that.

"Then! Then! What is it_!_!_?_" Naruto asked.

"… Heheheh." Kakashi laughed.

'I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this…' April thought, sweat-dropping.

"Hey, what's so funny, Sensei?" Sakura asked, chagrined. Was he making fun of them?

"No, well… It's just that… when I tell you this, you guys are definitely going to flip." He said with a grin.

"Flip?" April asked. She didn't like the sound of that.

"Ha?" Naruto said skeptically. What was he talking about?

"Of the 27 graduates, only about 9 will be chosen as genin. The rest will be sent back to the academy." He stated seriously. "This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over 66% percent_!_!" The looks on all of their faces were absolutely priceless, especially Naruto's. "Haha. See, I told you you'd flip."

"…." Sasuke, Sakura and April said, sweat-dropping.

"_What the hell!_!_?_" Naruto shouted incredulously. "But we worked so hard… then what was the point of graduating_!_?"

"Oh, that? That's just to select those that have the chance to become genin." Kakashi said a bit carelessly.

"Uhh… What_!_!_?_" Naruto asked.

"In other words, our 'final exam' was really just a preliminary?" April asked.

"Right." Kakashi said. "Anyway, tomorrow you'll be graded on the training field. Bring all your shinobi tools. Oh, and skip breakfast. You'll throw up."

'I can't fail here…' Naruto thought, shaking, as he swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. 'I'll have to kick Kakashi-sensei's ass and have him recognize my strength. No, no, seriously_!_!_!_'

'I'm not going to get dropped by a thing like this…!' April thought determinedly, hugging her knees when they started to tremble from nerves and excitement. 'Hit me with your best shot, Kakashi-sensei_!_!'

"Throw up_!_!_?_" Sakura asked, flinching in shock. "Is it that tough_!_?" 'But… If I fail this, I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun. This is a test of love_!_!_!_' She thought determinedly as Kakashi pulled out some paper handouts to give them.

"The details can be read on this printout." He told them, making sure they all had one. "Don't be late tomorrow."

"…." Sasuke read the handout and clenched the paper tightly in his hand.

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned as he tried to read it. There was too much kanji. April glanced between him and her own print out and raised her hand.

"Sensei, I'm not so good with Kanji. Can you explain what some of these characters mean?" She asked calmly.

'Huh? She can't even read something so simple?' Sakura thought dubiously, feeling a little superior. 'Cha! That's what you get for acting so great al the time_!_!' Inner Sakura said with a smirk.

"Oh, that's right. I heard the language where you're originally from is a little different." Kakashi said, nonplussed. "All right, stay behind and Sensei will correct the kanji with something easier for you to read. The rest of you are dismissed."

'Nice one, April!' Naruto thought, shooting her a grateful look. He hadn't wanted to admit he couldn't understand it either in front of the others, but now he could just get the information from her.

–∞–

That night, Naruto was absorbed in image-training with a motionless Kakashi doll.

"When he comes at me, I'll do this!" Naruto said, punching the stuffed bear that he had put his forehead protector on so that it was covering one eye, like Kakashi-sensei's. "I'll throw a punch here… But he'll kick with his right leg… Then I'll kick him in the jewels!" He shouted.

_BAM!_

Naruto was startled when April suddenly banged on the other side of the wall.

"It's late Naruto, settle down_!_!" She scolded him, shouting at him through the thin wall. "Stop image-training and get some rest, or you'll be too worn out tomorrow_!_!"

"Eh_!_? How did she know I was image training_!_?" He exclaimed, flinching in shock.

"Because I can hear you, dummy_!_!" She told him. "Now cut it out! I can't sleep with you making all that noise_!_! The best thing we can do to prepare for tomorrow is to make sure we're well rested so we'll have plenty of energy to fight!"

"Hmph… Well, I guess she's got a point…" Naruto said reluctantly, deciding to quit before she came over there and made him.


	7. Chapter6: Survival Test

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Survival Test**

* * *

**The next day…**

"Wake up, Naruto, or you won't have time to eat breakfast!" April said, shaking him awake. She had come over to make sure he didn't sleep through his alarm by mistake since they weren't used to waking up this early. Even though it was technically morning, it was still dark out.

"… Huh?" Naruto grumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "What're you talkin' about? Kakashi-sensei said to not to eat 'cause we'd throw up…"

"If I throw up, I throw up." April said carelessly with a shrug. She'd just do it real quick and keep going. She wasn't afraid to look stupid. "I'm not skipping breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day!"

"Suit yourself… I'm getting more sleep…" Naruto said, rolling over. April sweat-dropped. Well, that whatever. If he'd rather sacrifice fuel for sleep, that was his choice. Personally, she was going to have herself some oatmeal and orange juice—something filling to give her energy without weighing too heavily on her stomach.

–∞–

Following the instructions given to them the day before, Naruto, April, Sakura, and Sasuke all arrived at the third training area at 5 A.M. and waited for Kakashi-sensei to arrive and start the test. They waited… and waited… _and waited_…

"Hey guys, good morning!" Their tardy teacher greeted them with a smile as bright as the sun shining in the blue sky above.

_"You're late!_!_!_" Naruto and Sakura shouted angrily at him.

"Um, Sensei," April said, raising her hand, "I realized after it was too late to ask you yesterday, that you didn't mention anything about lunch, so I made some bentos just in case. Is there someplace safe I can leave them while we train?"

"What kind of bentos?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Grilled chicken shish kabobs with rice and some pineapple for dessert." She replied, holding out the bag of stacked bento boxes.

'That sounds a lot better than the ones I brought…' Kakashi thought. "All right, Sensei will take good care of them for you." He said, taking the bag. "Be right back."

"Ah, that sounds so good…" Naruto said, drooling. He was starving. He couldn't wait for lunch! "But fruit isn't much of a dessert, you know…"

"I knew you'd say that, so I put some brownies in yours." April said with a wry smile.

"When did you have time to make all of that?" Sakura asked, a little impressed. 'Cha! I should have thought of that_!_! She'd better not be trying to win Sasuke's heart through his stomach_!_!' Inner Sakura said aggressively.

"Last night." April answered nonchalantly.

"Ok, now that that's taken care of…" Kakashi said with some noticeably empty hands. He pulled out an odd-looking clock and set it down on the stump next to him.

'That was fast…!' April thought. She hadn't even realized he was gone! She furrowed her brow slightly. 'As I thought… He let the eraser hit him on purpose_!_!'

"… Okay, it's set for noon." Kakashi finished, pushing down the button on top of the clock to start the timer. He had only used this test on groups of three up until now, but should work just as well with four.

"?" The others said, wondering what he was up to now.

"Here are two bells." He said, holding two bells on strings up for them to see. "Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who cannot get a bell by noon… get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll eat right in front of you." He added, pointing to three tall and thick poles off to the side.

'So that's why he told us not to eat…' They all thought, sweat-dropping.

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed as his, Sakura's, and Sasuke's stomachs all growled in unison. 'I should have eaten with April when I had the chance_!_!'

'I'm so glad I ignored his warning and ate.' April thought, feeling a bit sorry for the others. 'But I kind of regret mentioning the bentos now…' She had a feeling she wasn't going to get them back…

"You only need to get one bell." Kakashi continued. "There are only two, so two of you will definitely be tied to a stump. And the ones who don't take a bell, fail. So at least two of you will be sent back to the academy." He watched as they all tensed and beads of nervous sweat dripped down the sides of their faces. Right off the bat, their chances of passing had already been cut in half. "You can even use your shurikens. You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill." He finished, pulling the bells up into his hand.

"Roger!" April said readily with a little salute.

"What so you mean_, 'Roger'!_?" Sakura snapped incredulously. How could she agree to something like that so easily_!_? "That's too dangerous, Sensei_!_!"

"Yeah, you're so slow, you can't even dodge a chalkboard eraser!" Naruto laughed, sweat-dropping.

"Haven't you guys realized it, yet? He did that on purpose to make us lower our guard." April said calmly, surprising them. "Didn't you notice how he paused for a moment before opening the classroom door yesterday?" Kakashi's eyes widened slightly for a moment.

'So she noticed that, huh?' He thought, impressed. He had only paused for a fraction of a second. She had really sharp eyes.

'What…_!_?' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow. Judging from Kakashi's reaction, she had hit the nail on the head. How could she have possibly noticed something that small in an only instant… when _he _hadn't seen a thing…?

"No way_!_! You're probably just overthinking things again!" Naruto told her.

"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest." Kakashi deadpanned in response. "Well, just ignore Mr. Dead Last, and start when I say…"

'Ouch!' April thought sympathetically as vein throbbed on Naruto's forehead and he grit his teeth in anger as Kakashi's words echoed through his mind.

'Dead Last… Dead Last… _Dead Last_…'

"!" April gasped when the hothead suddenly drew a kunai and lunged at Kakashi. "Naru—_!_?" In a flash, with movements almost too fast for her eyes to follow, with one hand Kakashi grabbed the hand that Naruto was holding the kunai in, and placed the other on top of the boy's head as he spun him around. He now had Naruto restrained so that the boy was facing away from him, and his arm was twisted so that the kunai was pointed at the back of his own neck.

"Slow down. I didn't say to 'start' yet." Kakashi said coolly.

'So fast…_!_!' April thought as a bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of her face. She hadn't been able to move at all!

'No way… I couldn't even see…' Sakura thought, stunned.

'So this is a jōnin…' Sasuke thought with the hint of a smirk as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Well, it seems like you're prepared to come after me with intent to kill. So, you've finally acknowledge me?" Kakashi said, glancing at their serious faces. "Heheh, I think I can finally start liking you guys. Ok, let's get going. Ready…" April furrowed her brow and adjusted her stance slightly, getting ready to make her next move. "Start_!_!_!_!" He shouted, releasing Naruto, as everyone immediately scattered.'A basic for a ninja is to conceal your presence and hide.' Kakashi thought, glancing around as he remained out in the open. 'Good, everyone has hidden nicely…' Although he could still sense some of them, at least they knew enough to get out of sight right away. Well, all except one…

"Let's have a match, fair and square_!_! Come and fight me_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted, standing bold as brass only a few feet away.

"…" Kakashi just stared at him.

'Naruto…' April thought as she watched from her hiding place, face-palming.

'That idiot.' Sasuke thought.

"I said, fight me_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted again.

"Umm… you're a bit off…" Kakashi told him, sweat-dropping. "Don't you think you're a little weird compared to the rest?"

"What's weird is your hairstyle_!_!" Naruto retorted.

'Burn…!' April thought as Naruto lunged at Kakashi again. The jōnin stayed where he was and reached into his back pouch.

"_!_!" Naruto lurched to a halt a immediately jumped back.

"Ninja fighting lesson number one: taijutsu. I'll teach you about that first." Kakashi said.

'Taijutsu is ninja hand-to-hand combat… but he's going to use a weapon?' Naruto thought nervously, furrowing his brow.

'Wait a minute, that's…!' April thought, squinting slightly as Kakashi removed his hand from the pouch along with the item he had been reaching for. 'A book… and a dirty one, at that…' She thought, sweat-dropping and blushing slightly, when she noticed the red circle with a line through it on the back cover that they used to mark anything with 'mature' content. The title was 'Make Out Tactics', so it wasn't that difficult to guess its contents…

"_!_?" Naruto said, surprised, also blushing slightly when he came to the same realization.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked him. "Come and get me."

"But… Hey, hey_!_!_?_ Why do you have a book?" Naruto asked.

"Why? Well, because I want to read what happens next." He replied matter-of-factly, already engrossed in its contents. "Don't worry about it. It won't make a difference against you guys."

"_!_!" A vein throbbed on Naruto's head as he clenched his fist. "I'll beat you to a pulp_!_!_!_" He shouted angrily, rolling up his sleeve, as he lunged at the jōnin again. This guy really knew how to piss him off_!_! "Ahh_!_!_!_" Naruto jumped and threw a punch at Kakashi, but he easily caught it without even having to look up. Naruto spun around to deliver a roundhouse kick to his ribs, but Kakashi simply dodged by squatting, still reading his book. "Yaah_!_!" Naruto yelled as he charged again, only to find himself punching nothing but air. "Huh?" Naruto said, confused. Where did he go?

"A ninja isn't supposed to get caught from behind, idiot." Kakashi deadpanned from right behind him.

"!" April and Sakura gasped when they saw the hand seal the jōnin was making.

'His hand position… is that the seal of the tiger_!_?' April wondered, alarmed.

'Huh? No way_!_!' Sakura thought. 'He's going to use that ninjutsu against Naruto?'

'That seal is for fire elements…' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow. 'That bastard isn't just going to run around?'

"Naruto, get out of there_!_! You're going to get killed!" Sakura yelled as April jumped out of her hiding place, sprinting over to help.

"Huh?" Naruto said as he whipped his head around.

"Too late." Kakashi said ominously as April lunged at him, thrusting his fingers out with a dangerous gleam in his eye. "Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique—_A Thousand Years of Pain!_!_!_"

"_Gyaaaa!_!_!_" Naruto screamed when he felt a sharp, intense pain shoot through his ass as he was launched into the air by the force of the attack and sent flying.

"Wha…_!_?" April cried incredulously, so shocked that she tripped and face-faulted, disappearing in a pouf of smoke.

'I-it was just a super powerful kanchō…?' April thought, sweat-dropping, as she watched safely from her new hiding place.

'What the…? That wasn't ninjutsu…' Sakura thought as she blushed slightly out of embarrassment, a little chagrined.

'They're both idiots…' Sasuke thought, sweat-dropping, as Naruto landed in the pond with a huge splash.

'Oh, so she sent a clone out in an attempt to save Naruto and distract me while she moved after revealing her hiding spot... Not bad.' Kakashi thought. There was a hint of blush on his cheeks as he turned to the next page in his book. It was starting to get really 'interesting'…

'His strength is so unfair. What are we supposed to do?' Sakura wondered, starting to feel anxious.

'None of us stand a chance against him on our own.' April thought. 'Our only hope is to…'

_SPLASH!_ FWIP!

"_!_!" Sakura gasped when two shuriken suddenly came flying up out of the pond, headed straight for Kakashi.

"Hahaha!" He laughed at one of the lines in his book as he caught both shurikens using only two fingers.

'No way…' April thought, sweat-dropping, as she watched the shurikens spin on his fingers. He did something that complicated without even looking… and he made it look easy!

"…" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow.

'He's reading and laughing… He's just playing with Naruto.' Sakura thought, starting to lose hope.

Still under water, Naruto silently cursed and clenched his fists.

'I can't… fail here!' He thought, forming the hand seal for the shadow clone jutsu.

Naruto coughed as he climbed out of the pond, soaking wet.

"Hey, what's wrong? If you don't get a bell by noon, you won't get lunch." Kakashi reminded him.

"I know that_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted, panting.

"You sure are weak for some one who's going to surpass the Hokage." Kakashi commented as Naruto's stomach growled.

"Damn, Damn_!_! I can still fight on empty stomach_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled defiantly.

'I should have made him eat with me…' April thought. He looked like he could barely move.

"…" Sasuke blushed a little out of embarrassment when his stomach also growled.

'I'm on a diet and didn't eat last night either… I'm starving_!_!' Sakura thought, slumping onto the ground as her stomach growled.

"I was just a little careless, that's all_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted as Kakashi turned and started to walk away. He now knew exactly where Sakura and Sasuke were, thanks to their stomachs.

"Ever hear that carelessness can be your worst enemy?" Kakashi remarked, still reading his book.

"…" Naruto was trembling with irritation and frustration. 'Damn_!_! I'm so hungry, my body… But I must get a bell! I'm going to make him… acknowledge me_!_!'

_SPLASH!_!

'I'm must become a ninja_!_!_!_' He thought determinedly as his shadow clones suddenly jumped up out of the water.

"Hn?" Kakashi said, glancing back.

"Hah_!_! My specialty, shadow clone jutsu_!_!_!_ You better not get careless, there's more than one of me, now_!_!_!_" Naruto declared boldly with a grin.

'All right_!_! That's using your head, Naruto!' April thought with a smirk. It looked like he was starting to get the hang of this!

'1, 2, 3… 8? What is that jutsu?' Sasuke wondered, furrowing his brow.

'What? They aren't illusions, but all real?' Sakura thought, surprised.

"Hn?" Kakashi pivoted back to face the advancing Naruto and his clones. "Not just clones, but shadow clones?" 'This must be the forbidden skill he used to defeat Mizuki.' He thought. "With your ability, about a minute is probably your limit with this. No matter how many you line up, you're still Naruto. You can't beat me with that jutsu." He told him. "!"

_JINGLE~_

"What_!_!_?_ Behind me_!_?" He exclaimed in surprise when one of the Narutos grabbed him from behind. Naruto smirked. The other three stared in awe.

"Weren't Ninjas not supposed to get caught from behind? Right, Kakashi-sensei_!_?" Naruto leered as he and the rest of his clones came charging at them. "Using the shadow clone jutsu, I sent a clone out of the water… to sneak around behind you_!_!" He explained as his clones grabbed the jōnin's legs to hold him in place while he leaped into the air, preparing to strike. "My ass is still hurting_!_! Here comes the revenge_!_!"

'Naruto's pretty good!' Sakura thought, impressed.

'Hmph. Nice plan.' Sasuke thought with the hint of a smirk. Maybe he wasn't such a loser, after all.

'But will it be enough…?' April wondered, clenching her fists as she watched.

"I'm going to punch you_!_!" Naruto declared confidently as he took a swing at Kakashi-sensei. 'Yahoo_!_!_!_' He thought with a grin as his punch connected. Unfortunately, the one he hit wasn't Kakashi-sensei at all… It was one of his clones. "_!_!_?_" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he realized what had just happened. 'Huh_!_!_?_' Why was he looking himself when Kakashi had been trapped there only seconds ago_!_? 'Who'd I punch?'

'The one Naruto punched… was Naruto_!_?' Sakura thought, stunned.

'Ah, so it ended up failing, after all…' April thought, sweat-dropping. 'This is going to be even harder than I thought…'


	8. Chapter7: Pass or Fail?

**Previously:**

_"I'm going to punch you!" Naruto declared confidently as he took a swing at Kakashi-sensei. 'Yahoo!' He thought with a grin as his punch connected. Unfortunately, the one he hit wasn't Kakashi-sensei at all… It was one of his clones. "!?" Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when he realized what had just happened. 'Huh!?' Why was he looking himself when Kakashi had been trapped there only seconds ago!? 'Who'd I punch?'_

_'The one Naruto punched… was Naruto!?' Sakura thought, stunned._

_'Ah, so it ended up failing, after all…' April thought, sweat-dropping. 'This is going to be a lot harder than I thought…'_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Pass or Fail?**

* * *

"Ouch_!_!" Naruto's injured clone grunted in pain as the one holding it hit the ground.

"You're Kakashi-sensei, aren't you_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted at it accusingly. "You used a transformation jutsu to try to trick me_!_!"

"No, it's you_!_!" Another clone shouted.

"No, you are_!_!"

"It's you_!_!"

"It's not me_!_!"

'Why doesn't he just undo the clone jutsu?' April wondered, sweat-dropping as she watched Naruto's near victory devolve into a fight amongst him and his clones. Oh, well. While Naruto was causing a commotion, she decided to start enacting a plan of her own.

"You have Kakashi's old man smell_!_!"

"What are you talking about_!_?"

"Hey, you know… Why don't you release the jutsu?" One of the clones asked. "Then you'll know because there will be only two."

"Oh, you should have noticed that earlier, idiot_!_!" Another said.

"I'm _you_, moron_!_!" Naruto snapped, chagrined. He released the jutsu. Once the clones disappeared, Naruto was left standing out in the open all alone. Kakashi-sensei was never there to begin with… Naruto had just been beating himself up. A small tear rolled down the side of his swollen and bruised face.

'Naruto… looks so uncool…' Sakura thought, sweat-dropping.

'That was the substitution jutsu, idiot.' Sasuke thought, also sweat-dropping.

"I see, so Kakashi-sensei switched his body with one of the clones using the substitution jutsu…" April mused in a low voice, startling Sasuke when he suddenly realized she was perched right next to him.

"What are you doing_!_?" He whisper-yelled. When did she…_!_?

"Yo!" She whispered back cheerfully with a small wave. "I came to strategize." She said by way of explanation. "Since it's obvious we can't beat him on our own, I think we should all just team up and ambush him. If it keeps going like this, we're all going to fail. But if we work together, at least some of us might—"

"I don't need your help." Sasuke whispered sternly, cutting her off. "I'm different from the rest of you_!_!" April opened her mouth to tell him he was being an idiot, but their attention was abruptly drawn back to Naruto again when they heard him cry out in surprise.

"What the hell is this_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted incredulously as he hung upside down from a tree, swinging on the rope tied around his ankle. On the ground below him was a single silver bell.

'A trap… obviously…' She and Sasuke thought, sweat-dropping.

'But that jōnin… even when playing with Naruto, he showed no openings…' Sasuke thought. It was no wonder April wanted to team up, too bad he had no intention of doing so.

'Well, if Sasuke's out, I guess I might as well move on to Sakura-chan, next…' April thought as Kakashi came back out into the open to retrieve the bell, sparing him one last glance before silently moving on.

"Ah_!_!" Naruto yelled when Kakashi leaned down and picked the bell up.

"Think before using a jutsu, or it will get used against you." He advised the boy as he straightened up. "And also… don't fall for such obvious traps, idiot." He added, tossing the bell up and down in his hand.

"Goddammit_!_!_!_" Naruto cursed, grinding his teeth in annoyance frustration. This guy seriously pissed him off_!_!

"A ninja must be able to see through deception." Kakashi told him with a smile.

"I already know that_!_!_!_" Naruto snapped.

"Umm… I'm telling you because you don't." Kakashi deadpanned.

"Psst! Hey, Sakura-chan…" April whispered when she found the pink-haired girl, startling her so bad, that she had to clap a hand over her mouth to prevent her from shrieking in surprise and giving away their position while Kakashi continued to lecture Naruto. "Calm down, it's only me." She whispered, sweat-dropping, as she removed her hand. "Listen, I think we should all team up if we want to beat Kakashi-sensei."

"Eh? Isn't that against the rules_!_?" She asked, taken aback. 'Cha_!_! That's an awesome plan!' Inner Sakura said.

"He never actually said we couldn't work together." April pointed out. "And if it's a joint effort, then just maybe we can convince him to pass us all on a technicality… either way, at least some of us will have a shot at actually passing, right?" She said reasonably.

"Or he might just disqualify all of us! What did Sasuke-kun say?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Well…" April said a bit hesitantly. "He said he'd rather do it alone, but—"

"Then, I won't do it either!" Sakura said determinedly. "If Sasuke-kun were with us that would be one thing, but I'm not risking my future for just you and Naruto!"

"…" April stared at her, unimpressed. 'I'm surrounded by a bunch of selfish brats…' She thought, chagrined. Didn't they get that they were supposed to be a team now?

"_!_!" Both girls gasped when several shuriken suddenly flew out from the trees where Sasuke had hidden, headed straight for Kakashi.

'He finally showed an opening!' Sasuke thought with a smirk.

"Geez," Kakashi said, still talking to Naruto, "you are—"

_STAB! STAB! STAB!_

April's eyes widened in shock when they all hit home and blood some blood spurted out of Kakashi's wounds as he started to fall.

"Aww_!_!_!_ No way_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted in disbelief, beyond shocked. "Sasuke, you bastard_!_! You went too far_!_!"

POOF~

With a pouf of smoke, Kakashi's corpse turned into a log.

"_!_!_!_" Sasuke and Naruto gasped.

'Of course, another substitution…_!_!' April thought, furrowing her brow. She thought it was little weird for him to get hit so easily.

'So he's there…' Kakashi thought, watching from another tree.

'Damn_!_! Another substitution. From the shuriken, he knows where I am.' Sasuke thought, moving away quickly. "He showed an opening on purpose. Pathetic, I fell for his trap_!_!" He scolded himself.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped, quickly jumping up and running off to go after him.

"Ah, Sakura—Oh, whatever_!_!" April said, giving up with a huff. While Sensei was running around chasing those two, she should use this chance to talk to Naruto…!

"Uaaaah_!_!" Sakura's voice echoed through the forest.

"!" April paused and glanced back. 'Don't tell me he got her already_!_?' She wondered.

"Hmph! 'A ninja has to see through deception'_!_!_?_ What a moron_!_!_!_" Naruto grumbled.

"Want some help?" April asked as she cautiously approached him, careful not to get caught in any traps along the way.

"April_!_? What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised to see her. "Shouldn't you be trying to get a bell?"

"Yeah, about that… I was thinking we should team up and try to ambush him. What do you say to that?" She asked with a smile, hoping the two of them would be enough since the others were out.

"Hmm… No way_!_!" Naruto said after thinking it over for a moment, surprising her.

"Eh? Why not_!_?" She demanded. What was with everyone today_!_? Now even Naruto didn't want to work with her_!_?

"Because, how am I supposed to become Hokage someday if I can't even get a stupid little bell_!_!_?_" He retorted. "I have to do this on my own_!_!_!_ I'm gonna beat that sensei and force him to acknowledge me_!_!"

"Ah, I see…" April said, sweat-dropping. He did sort of have a point there… "Well, I guess I'm really on my own, then… Let me know if you change your mind." She said as she turned and left, giving him a wave over her shoulder.

"Hey, wait_!_! Weren't you going to untie me_!_?" Naruto shouted at her, flinching in shock. "Damn it_!_!_! _I'm not going to fall for his stupid traps again_!_!" He said as he used a kunai to cut himself free, doing a flip before landing on the ground below.

TNG—_FWIP!_!

"Nooo_!_!_!_" Naruto cried out in frustration as he found himself hanging from the tree again. "Dammit_!_!_!_ The exact same trap right underneath me_!_!"

_"Kyaaaah!_!"

"!" April slid to a halt when she heard a blood-curdling scream from Sakura. What the hell was he_ doing_ to make her scream like that…_!_!_?_ '… I'd better go make sure she's okay_!_!' April decided, proceeding toward the origin of the scream with caution.

"That scream…" Sasuke said, also stopping for a moment. "Sakura…"

"Shinobi fighting lesson number two: genjutsu. Sakura easily fell for it…" Kakashi said, leaning against the tree behind him as he continued to read his book.

'Genjutsu… a form of hallucinatory hypnotism…' Sasuke thought. 'She'd fall for that, but…' "I'm not the same as them." He said aloud.

"Say that after you get a bell… Sasuke-kun." Kakashi said coolly as he stepped forth to face him.

'She's foaming at the mouth…' April thought, sweat-dropping, as she stared down at the unconscious Sakura. Apart from the look of terror frozen on her face, she looked completely unharmed. 'He must have used genjutsu on her… I'll have to be careful…' Genjutsu wasn't exactly her strong suit.

"Hah_!_!" Sasuke attacked Kakashi with a strong kick, but the jōnin quickly blocked it and grabbed his ankle, holding his leg in place. Sasuke then twisted around and threw a punch. Kakashi caught that with his other hand. "Yah_!_!" Sasuke yelled, aiming another kick at his head. That too was blocked as Kakashi quickly adjusted his arms to shield himself while still keeping hold of Sasuke's fist and ankle. The bells jingled at the jōnin's waist. Sasuke smirked. Just as planned!

"!" Kakashi said when he realized what the boy was up to. 'Damn!' He thought as Sasuke reached for the bell with his free arm while the jōnin's hands were full. Sasuke's fingertip touched one of the bells.

JINGLE~

Kakashi quickly released Sasuke as he shot back, retreating to a safe distance before the boy could get the bell.

'What a guy…' Kakashi thought as he watched Sasuke land on his feet. 'I didn't have time to read 'Makeout Paradise'.

"Hey, Sakura-chan… Sa-ku-ra-chan…" April said, holding the younger girl's nose shut to wake her up.

"_!_!_?_" Sakura opened her mouth and gasped for air as she shot upright into a sitting position, fully awake. "What the—huh_!_?" She said, looking around, confused. "What happened_!_?"

"You fainted, I think..." April said, sweat-dropping.

"!" Sakura gasped as it all came back to her and she remembered the illusion she saw of Sasuke near death. "Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_" She yelled, jumping to her feet. Don't die and leave me behind_!_! Where are you_!_?" She cried, running of to find him.

"… Thanks for not leaving me alone while I was unconscious, April. You're welcome, Sakura-chan." April mimed sarcastically.

"Hmm… helping your teammates even after they turned you down, huh?" Kakashi remarked from right behind her.

"_!_!" April gasped in alarmed, immediately striking out at him with a roundhouse kick. Once again, Kakashi easily blocked the blow with his arm and grabbed her ankle to hold her in place, only this time, the sharpness of the force of her blow left a cut, and while Kakashi was surprised about this, she twisted around to attack again.

'This'll be another punch.' Kakashi thought as he started to move his head to dodge instead of trying to catch it this time. She was trying to do the same thing as Sasuke, but he wasn't about to fall for that trick a—"_!_!_?_" His eyes widened when the punch turned out to be feint, and she tried to deliver a kick to his ribs at the same time her fist flew past his face. Kakashi managed to catch her foot in time, but then she arched her back and reached for the bell. 'Oh, no, you don't!' He thought, swinging her by her ankles and throwing her up into the air. As she was being thrown away, she formed a hand seal.

'Shadow clone jutsu_!_!' She thought, creating two shadow clones, who launched themselves forward at Kakashi as she flew back. He raised both hands to catch their fists as both clones tried to hit him with a straight jab. He expected them to stop and try to strike again, but instead they kept running and let their wrists get twisted as they used the momentum to sing around and wrapped their free arms and legs around him.

"_!_!" Kakashi's eyes widened slightly in surprise as they wrapped their bodies around him and linked together to hold him a full-body joint-lock so he couldn't run away. While all of this was happening, the real April came charging back at him. She reached out to grab one of the bells from his waist and almost touched it, but at the last minute, she pulled back, did a flip and kicked off of the tree stump she had almost slammed into, using it as a springboard to launch herself back in the direction she had just come from, aiming a rocket punch at the real Kakashi, who had been sneaking up on her from behind. Kakashi stepped to the side and dodged, but she landed in a crouch, and the moment she touched the ground, April spun around and struck out at him again, using a sweeping kick, while a clone aimed another kick at his head. Kakashi jumped and ducked to avoid the simultaneous attacks. 'Another troublesome one has arrived…' He thought. She wasn't giving him any time to read his book either. Her taijutsu was even better than Sasuke's, and even though they were weaker, she used her clones a lot more effectively than Naruto. "!" While he was still in the air, the other clone threw several shuriken at him. He instinctively countered by throwing some of his own back at her, with enough her to cancel out her attack, while a few extra kept going as part of a counter attack. 'Damn, I didn't mean to use that kind of move against a beginner_!_!' He thought, immediately regretting his actions. But the two clones rushed forth to shield the real April, and she jumped up onto their shoulders and pushed off of as they were taken out by his shurikens. April threw kunais at Kakashi's hands and feet as he landed. They hit their targets, but April didn't let her guard down. She immediately began scanning her surroundings before the log from the substitution jutsu even had time to finish falling over, watching for any signs that might give away Kakashi's position or indicate where he would attack from next.

'Where'd he go…_!_?' She wondered. It was like he had completely vanished…!

"Below you." He said as his hands burst up through the ground and grabbed her by the ankles. "Earth element: Suicidal Decapitation!"

"_!_!_?_" She cried out in shock and alarm as she was instantly pulled down into the earth until she was buried up to her neck.

"Your taijutsu is excellent, but it looks like you need to work more on ninja fighting lesson number 3: ninjutsu." Kakashi said thoughtfully as he reappeared before her. That fight was starting to get a little too dangerous... He hadn't intended to use actual weapons against any of them. "How is it? Can't move, can you? You have good instincts, but it looks like I was able to take you completely by surprise this time."

"Well, where I come from, such a thing would normally be considered impossible, even for a ninja…" April said, sweat-dropping. "Reality works a little differently there…" 'He really got me good…_!_!' She thought, chagrined. How was she going to get out of this?

"Even if that's true, you're in this world now." He said, squatting down to talk to her on her level. "You need to learn this world's rules, or it'll chew you up and spit you out."

"Tell me about it…" April said, hanging her head a little in shame. Wasn't she literally in that situation right now?

"Don't feel too bad. I got Sasuke-kun with that one, too." He said with a smile. "But putting that aside, care to tell me why you decided to come at me all alone? Weren't you trying to get your teammates to work together with you?"

'So he knew the whole time…?' She thought, sweat-dropping as she wondered when he the had time to spy on her. "Yeah, I thought our best chance of passing would be to work together, but they all turned me down." She confessed with a sigh. "But it's almost noon, and I want to eat lunch." She added with a serious gleam in her eye.

'So, refueling was actually of greater concern to her than the bell?' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping. Well, it was true that the longer they tried to fight on an empty stomach, the harder it would be for them… "And what made you think it was okay to do that? I didn't say you could work together, and there are only two bells. Even if you did succeed in getting them, how were you going to dived them up amongst yourselves evenly?"

"Well, you never said we _couldn't_ work together… and we're supposed to be a team, aren't we? It's strange for there to only be two bells in the first place. I was hoping maybe if we all worked together, we could convince you pass us all on some kind of technicality, since it would have been a joint effort, and if that didn't work, then… I guess we could've decided by rock, paper, scissors?" She said, furrowing her brow as she blushed slightly out of embarrassment and looked away. Now that she had heard herself say it out loud, it sounded kind of stupid. "But even if two people failed, I thought at least this way, two of us could pass. The two who failed could always try again next year, right? Even if I fail here, I'm not going to give up_!_!" She added determinedly.

"…" Kakashi stared at her. She started sweating a little nervously.

"W-What…?" She asked, wondering why he was staring so intensely at her all of sudden.

"I have just one more question… Why do you want to be a ninja?" He asked, surprising her.

"Huh? Well, don't laugh, but… I got inspired when I saw my first ninja movie shortly after my parents died." She said, blushing as she looked down. "No matter what kind of danger and other obstacles he encountered, the ninja never gave up. He said that shinobi were 'ones who endured', but watching him, it seemed to me that they did more than just endure… Shinobi 'overcome'." She said firmly raising her head to look up at him with eyes filled with steady strength and resolve.

"And what did you want to overcome?" He asked.

"The useless me that couldn't do anything to protect myself or the people I cared about."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly for a moment. He smiled.

"I see." He said. "That is a good answer."

"?" April said, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion as he stood up and walked away. "Hey, wait a minute… How am I supposed to get out of this_!_?" She shouted after him, struggling uselessly against the weight of the earth.


	9. Chapter8: Final Decision

**Previously:**

_"And what did you want to overcome?" He asked._

_"The useless me that couldn't do anything to protect myself or the people I cared about."_

_Kakashi's eyes widened slightly for a moment. He smiled._

_"I see." He said. "That is a good answer."_

_"?" April said, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion as he stood up and walked away. "Hey, wait a minute… How am I supposed to get out of this!_?_" She shouted after him, struggling uselessly against the weight of the earth._

* * *

**Chapter 8: Kakashi's Final Decision**

* * *

"Hehehe!" Naruto laughed, grinning slyly, as he sat down to eat the bentos he had spotted while hanging upside down from the tree. "Instead of wasting time trying to get the bell… I can just hide and eat the lunches now. Hehehe, time to eat_!_!" He said, clapping his hands together.

"Hey." Kakashi said as he loomed over him ominously, perched on top of the stone memorial.

"… That was just a joke…" Naruto said awkwardly with a tense expression on his face, breaking out into a nervous sweat.

"Too late!" Kakashi stated bluntly.

'Damn it… There's that large a difference…?' Sasuke thought, gritting his teeth in frustration. Like April, he was still buried up to his neck.

"!" He and Sakura both gasped in surprise when she ran out of some bushes and their eyes met.

"…" Sakura's eyes widened and she broke out into a nervous sweat. "Awww_!_!_!_ His severed head_!_!" She screamed before abruptly fainting.

"Wh… What?" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow in confusion as he sweat-dropped.

Meanwhile, April had managed to make a little progress on her own escape.

"Ung!" She grunted as she finally succeeded in wriggling her hands free enough to make a hand seal. "Shadow clone jutsu!" Two shadow clones appeared in a puff of smoke. "Okay, guys. Dig me out."

"Hey." Sasuke said, trying to get Sakura to wake up after having just finished digging himself out.

'Huh? Sasuke-kun's voice?' She thought, opening her eyes. "!" She gasped when she saw that he was sitting right next to her, alive, whole, and unscathed. "Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_ You're all right_!_!_!_" She cried with relief, glomping him affectionately.

"Stop_!_! Don't hug me_!_!" He shouted, getting flustered. "There's not much time until lunch." He stated once he'd freed himself. "I'm going."

"Sasuke-kun, you're still going after the bell?" Sakura asked.

"I already touched it. Next time I'll get it." He stated confidently.

"What_!_!_?_" Sakura exclaimed in shock and surprise. No way! "Oh, I see… you're incredible, Sasuke-kun…" She said with a tense smile. 'This is bad, there's no way I can get a bell… at this rate, I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun.' She thought anxiously. "You know, there isn't much time left, so… we don't have to push ourselves too hard… There's always next time…" Sasuke glared at her.

"!" Sakura flinched, gulping nervously.

"There's a man that only I can kill." He said, looking away.

"… Oh…" She said nervously. "Who? Kakashi-sensei?"

"That time… crying…"

"Crying?"

"My…"

"What… do you mean?"

"I am an avenger." Sasuke stated darkly. "I have to become stronger than that man. So I can't just stay around here…"

"!" Sakura gasped as she remembered what Sasuke had said about his ambition.

_To kill a certain man._

BRRINNNG~!

The alarm clock went off, signaling that it was noon. Time was up.

"Tch!" Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance as he kicked the ground and started heading back. "Damn_!_! Wasted too much time."

"…" Sakura watched as he left, not knowing what to say. 'Sasuke-kun…'

Ten minutes later, they were all back at the starting point. Sasuke, Sakura, and April were sitting on the ground, taking a rest, while Naruto was tied to a stump for trying to cheat. Their stomachs let out a combined growl that was embarrassingly loud.

"Oh… You guys look really hungry." Kakashi remarked dryly. "By the way, about the training… Well, there's no need for you guys to go back to the academy."

"_!_!" They all gasped in surprise.

"Ahh!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

'Huh? All I did was run around and pass out… was that enough?' Sakura thought. 'Love wins_!_! Cha_!_!' Inner Sakura cheered, pumping her fist.

'Does that mean he lied about the possibility of failing to make us go all out in order to measure our abilities or something…?' April wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmph." Sasuke said.

"Then_!_!_! _Then_!_!_!_ All of us…_!_!_!_" Naruto asked excitedly, while Sakura jumped up and down for joy, and April let out a sigh of relief. Kakashi smiled.

"That's right, all of you, with the exception of April…" He said, causing the purple-haired girl to flinch in shock. "… Should quit being ninjas." He finished sternly.

"_!_!_!_?" They all gasped in shock. Wh… What_!_!_?_ April glanced between Naruto and the others and their teacher, furrowing her brow with concern.

'What's going on here…_!_?' She wondered, alarmed by this sudden turn of events.

"Quit being ninjas_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted incredulously. "What does that mean_!_!?Okay_!_!_!_ Okay_!_!_!_ We couldn't get the bells, but… why do we have to quit_!_!_?_"

"Because all three of you… are just punks who don't deserve to be ninjas." Kakashi stated. Sasuke grit his teeth and lunged at the jōnin.

"Ah_!_!" Naruto and April gasped.

"Sasuke-kun_!_!" Sakura exclaimed.

"That's why you're a punk." Kakashi told him. In the blink of an eye, the jōnin had pinned Sasuke to the ground by twisting one arm behind his back and siting on the boy while he held his head down by placing a foot on the back of his head.

"No_!_! Don't step on Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_" Sakura yelled, totally freaking out.

"Are you guys underestimating ninjas? Huh?" Kakashi asked sternly, looking at them. "Why do you think you were divided into teams and are doing this training?"

"!" April said as her eyes widened slightly in realization. So, that's what this was about…

"Huh? What does that mean?" Sakura asked nervously.

"In other words, you three don't understand the answer to this test." Kakashi told her.

"Answer?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, the answer that helps you pass this test. April was the only one to get it right."

"_!_!" The others gasped, looking at her in shock. Sasuke grit his teeth.

'No way…_!_!' He thought furiously. How could she pass when he failed_!_?

"What_!_!_?_" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.

"What was it_!_!_?_" Sakura asked. April opened her mouth to tell them, but Kakashi stopped her before she could get a word out.

"Don't say it." He told her firmly. "Give them a chance to guess for themselves."

"We're asking because we don't know_!_!" Sakura exclaimed as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, frustrated.

"Ah_!_!_!_ Dammit_!_! What's the answer, already_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded shortly, fed up with the way their teacher kept beating around the bush. Just get to the point!

"It's teamwork." Kakashi answered gravely.

"!" Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura gasped in realization as they remembered how April had tried to get them to work together.

"The four of you working together may have been able to get a bell."

'Hey, wait a second…_!_!' Sakura thought. "What do you mean by teamwork? There are only two bells_!_!_!_ Even if we work together and get the bells, two of us would still fail." She pointed out. "What teamwork? That just makes us fight each other."

"Of course_!_!" Kakashi said. "This test is purposely set up to make you fight amongst yourselves."

"_!_!" Sakura and April gasped. So it was a set up…!

'I see, so this whole thing was meant to divde us up from the start...' April thought, sweat-dropping. She had feeling there was something fishy going on, but she had thought he was just making it ridiculously hard as a means to enforce that 66% pass/fail rate that he mentioned before...

"Huh_!_?" Naruto said, glancing between the girls and Kakashi. Wait a minute, if April got the answer right, then why did she look so surprised now?

"The purpose is to see whether you can forget about your own interests… and successfully work together, under these designed circumstances." Kakashi explained. "Yet, you guys… Sakura, instead of Naruto and April, who were right in front of you, you were only thinking about Sasuke, and you didn't even know where he was."

"_!_!" Sakura gasped in realization.

"Naruto_!_! You were just running around by yourself." Kakashi added, causing Naruto frown and flinch a bit guiltily. "Sasuke_!_! You just assumed the others would get in your way and tried to do everything yourself." Sasuke furrowed his brow and grit his teeth in frustration. "The only one of you who even thought to make an effort to work together was April, and you all turned her down. She was even prepared to give up her claim to a bell if it meant at least two of you could pass. And yet, all you three did was ignore her and treat her like a nuisance. Missions are done in groups. Of course, superior individual ability is important to a ninja. But what's even more important is 'teamwork'." He lectured them seriously. "Individual play that disrupts the team can put your comrades in danger, and even get you killed. For example…" He added, reaching into his back pouch and quickly withdrawing a kunai, holding it Sasuke's throat. "Sakura_!_!_!_ Kill Naruto_!_!_!_ Or Sasuke dies_!_!_!_"

"_!_!" They all gasped in alarm. He looked dead serious.

"What_!_!_?_" Naruto yelled, glancing between Sasuke and Sakura in a panic as April furrowed her brow and shifted into a position to lunge at Kakashi.

"You see? After getting someone taken hostage, you will be faced with a difficult decision, and someone will die. " Kakashi said calmly as he put the kunai away and stood up. "In every mission, you put your life on the line."

"Oh, you surprised me…!" Sakura said, almost falling to her knees as they all relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.

"…" Sasuke sat up and furrowed his brow as he wiped the dirt off of his face.

"Look at this." Kakashi said as he walked over to the stone memorial that was only a few feet away. "The numerous names carved into this stone… These are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of this village." Naruto perked up upon hearing that.

"That, that, that, that_!_!_!_ I've decided to get my name carved on that stone, too_!_!_!_" Naruto said excitedly. "Hero_!_!_!_ Hero_!_!_!_ That's what I'll become_!_!_!_"

"But… They aren't just normal heroes…" Kakashi said, glancing at him out the corner of his eye.

"Oh, yeah_!_!_?_ Then, what kind are they_!_!_?_" Naruto asked. Kakashi was silent. "What_!_!_?_ What_!_!_?_"

"They are all heroes who died while on duty."

"_!_!_!_" Naruto gasped as all their eyes widened in realization, and he instantly deflated, looking down. No way… All those names were…

"This is a memorial." Kakashi explained. "My best friend's name is also carved here…"

"…" April hugged her knees. 'I see… no wonder…' She thought, furrowing her brow. No wonder he was being so strict with them. He knew what it felt like to…

"As of right now, April is the only who's earned the right to pass. As for you three…" Kakashi said as he glanced back at them with a stern expression on his face. "I'll give the rest of you one more chance. But since you've already failed once, this time, you absolutely have to take the bells from me in order to pass, and after lunch, I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch, but don't give any to Naruto."

"Huh?" Naruto said, furrowing his brow.

"Why only Naruto?" April asked.

"It's punishment for trying to eat by himself." Kakashi stated bluntly.

'Naruto…' April thought unimpressed, sweat-dropping.

"If anyone gives him any food, they will fail immediately. I am the rules here_!_! Got it?" He finished coldly. "Come with me, April. We'll get started on your paperwork."

"But…" She said a little hesitantly, glancing worriedly at Naruto.

"If you give them the answer, then I won't pass any of them." Kakashi whispered in her ear as a warning. He already knew she had what it took to be a ninja. He wanted to see what the others would do without her there to hold their hands.

"Go ahead, I'll be totally fine_!_!" Naruto said, putting on a brave face.

"Okay." She said, clenching her fists at her side. "But you guys definitely have to pass, all right? After all, you're going to be Hokage someday, right, Naruto?"

"Right_!_!_!_" Naruto said determinedly, regaining some of his former spunk. With that, Kakashi grabbed April and disappeared with her.

"Heh_!_! I don't need any food." Naruto boasted. "I'm fine_!_!" The growling of his empty stomach echoed across the clearing. "…" Naruto sweat-dropped, while Sakura and Sasuke started eating the bentos Kakashi had bought without him. The sight and smell of food only made his stomach grow louder, but Naruto never once asked them for anything or tired to get them to compromise their own chances of passing. Sasuke stopped eating and glanced up at him.

"Here." He said, shocking the others, when he held his bento out for Naruto.

"_!_!_!_" Naruto and Sakura gasped.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, Sensei just said…" Sakura said nervously, nearly choking.

"Don't worry." Sasuke said. "I don't sense him near here. After lunch, we'll work together and get the bells. Without food, he'll just be in the way, and that will only hurt us."

'Sasuke-kun…' Sakura thought. "…" She stared down at her own bento for a moment.

"_!_!" Naruto said, surprised when she suddenly thrust it out, offering it up to him.

'Sakura-chan…' Naruto thought, blushing slightly. "Heh." He smiled gratefully at his teammates. "Hehe, thanks."

Unbeknownst to the three of them, the paperwork thing was a lie. April and Kakashi were still nearby, and they had witnessed the whole thing.

_WHOOOSH!_!

"What's this_!_?" Sakura cried in alarm when a huge cloud of smoke suddenly appeared before them with a huge gust of wind.

_"You guys…!_!_!_" Kakashi roared as he burst forth from the smoke, charing straight at them.

"!" Sasuke gasped.

"Aww_!_!" Naruto yelled.

"Kyaa_!_!" Sakura cried.

"Pass~" Kakashi said pleasantly with a friendly smile, stopping short just in front of them.

"Yay~_!_!" April cheered, stepping out from behind him, to shower her teammates in confetti as she set off a party popper. "You made it_!_!"

"… Huh?" Sakura said as the three twelve-year-olds stared at them, dumbfounded.

"Uh?" Naruto said, feeling thoroughly confused.

"…" Sasuke said, sweat-dropping. Why was there a party popper…?

"Pass_!_? But why?" Sakura asked, surprised.

"You guys are the first." Kakashi said. "Everyone else would just do whatever I told them. They were all morons."

"Huh?" Sakura said, sweat-dropping.

"?" Naruto said, still confused.

"A ninja must be able to think beyond the normal." Kakashi explained. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are called trash… But you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades… are lower than trash." He said, looking up at the sky.

"Haha!" Sakura laughed, feeling happy and relieved that they had all made it.

'That's so cool…' April thought with a slight hint of blush glowing on her cheeks as she and Naruto stared up at their new teacher in awe.

"He… He's kind of cool…" Naruto said.

"Che." Sasuke said, looking away. He wasn't about to let the others know how worried he had really been…

"That ends the training. All of you pass_!_!" Kakashi said, giving them a thumbs up. "Ok_!_!_!_ Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin its duties_!_!"

"Isn't that great, Naruto_!_?" April asked excitedly, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder as she teared up a little bit. She had been really worried for him back there.

"Yeah_!_!_!_" Naruto cheered, also tearing up a little bit because he was so happy. "I did it_!_! I did it_!_! I became a ninja_!_! Ninja_!_! Ninja_!_!"

"Let's go." Kakashi said.

"By the way, where did you get that party popper?" Sakura asked April as they gathered up their stuff and started to leave.

"Oh, that? I brought it with me." April replied with a smile. "What can I say? I'm an optimist."

"Hey_!_!_!_ Aren't you forgetting something_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted at them as he tried to wriggle free, still tied to the stump. "Damn it_!_!_!_ I knew this would happen_!_! Untie me_!_!"

_SHING._ SLASH.

"Wha—_!_!_?_" Naruto cried out surprise when a kunai suddenly flew past the stump, slicing through the rope as grazed the side, cutting him free. "Ouch!" Unfortunately, it took him by surprise, so he ended up falling into a face plant.

"Hurry up, Naruto_!_!" Sakura shouted unsympathetically.

"Can you bring back my kunai while you're at it_!_?" April called. She didn't feel like going back to get it herself. She was kind of tired after making those shadow clones earlier.

"Eh_!_? So it was you_!_!_?_" Naruto exclaimed incredulously. "A little warning would've been nice_!_!"

"Hurry up, or we'll leave you behind." Kakashi said. He was hungry, too. The sooner they finished this, the sooner they could relax and eat those bentos April made.

"Hey_!_!_!_ What happened to taking care of your comrades_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted indignantly as he grabbed his pack and April's kunai and hurried to catch up with them.


	10. Chapter9: Worst Client

**Chapter 9: The Worst Possible Client  
**

* * *

Deep in a heavily forested area, Team 7 was carrying out their latest mission.

"Are you in position, April?"Kakashi asked over his headset, coordinating his students movements.

"Yes, I've got the escape route blocked." She reported into her mic. "The target's getting closer, should I engage?"

"Negative. Hold your position for now." He told her. They didn't wan the target slipping trough and getting ahead of them again. "What's your distance to the target?" He asked the others.

"Five meters. I'm ready anytime." Naruto said determinedly.

"So am I." Sasuke said.

"Me too." Sakura added.

"Ok! Go_!_!" Kakashi ordered them.

"Uraaah_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted as the three of them leaped out at their target, catching it off guard.

"_!_!" The target cried out in alarm and tried to make a run for it.

"Oh no, you don't_!_!" April said, cutting off the cat's projected path as Naruto pounced.

"Gottcha_!_!" He said, grinning, as he trapped it in his arms.

"Nyaaa_!_!" The cat screeched in dismay, already struggling to get free again.

"Aww_!_! Ouch_!_!" Naruto yelled as the angry cat began trying to shred his face off with its claws.

"There should be a ribbon on its left ear… Are you sure this is our target, Tora?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, we're sure." Sasuke replied while April carefully pried the bristling cat off of Naruto, holding it's legs securely so it couldn't attack.

"Good." Kakashi said. "Lost Pet 'Tora' Search Mission… complete!"

With that, they headed back to report their progress and return in the wayward feline to its owner.

–∞–

The wife of the Land of Fire's feudal lord, Madam Shijimi, was extremely happy to see her beloved Tora again… the feeling did not appear to be mutual. Tears were streaming down the cat's face as she squeezed it tightly and smothered it with love.

"Ohh, my cute little Tora-chan. I was so worried." She cooed to the cat as she snuggled it with an excessive amount of unwanted love.

"Nyaaa_!_!" Tora screeched as if to say, 'I'll get you for this, you meddling kids_!_!'

'Gyahaha_!_! In your face, you stupid cat.' Naruto thought.

'No wonder it ran away.' Sakura and April thought, sweat-dropping.

"Now then, Kakashi's Team 7's your next mission is…" The Hokage said, getting their attention. "Hmm… baby sitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village, and helping with the potato digging."

"No_!_!_!_ No_!_!_!_ No_!_!_!_ No, thank you_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted abruptly, making an 'x' with his arms. "I want to do, you know, a more incredible mission_!_!_!_ Find us a better one_!_!"

'I agree…' Sasuke thought, frowning slightly at the mundaneness of it all.

'I know how he feels, but… We _have_ to go through all of this Mr. Miyagi crap to gain some experience before they'll let us do anything more exciting…' April thought. That's just how the system worked, unfortunately.

'Geez… How annoying…' Sakura thought. Why couldn't Naruto keep his mouth shut?

'I thought it was about time for this…' Kakashi thought with a sigh.

"You idiot_!_!" Iruka snapped at Naruto, shooting up out of his chair. "You're still just a rookie_!_! Everyone starts off with the simple duties and works their way up_!_!_!_"

"But_!_! But_!_! We keep on getting the crappiest possible missions_!_!_!_" Naruto complained.

"Quiet, you!" Kakashi said, giving him a quick whack on the head to shut the loudmouth up. He was only digging himself into a deeper hole.

"Naruto_!_! It seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about." The Hokage said. "Listen, everyday the village receives numerous requests, from babysitting… to assassination. Each request is written down on these lists… and divided into ranks A, B, C, and D based on difficulty. The village is also divided based on skill. Starting with me, to the jōnins, chūnins, and genins. The missions are then assigned by us at the top to ninjas based on their abilities. And if the duty is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client." He finished explaining while Madam Shijimi was paying. "You guys just recently became genin. D-rank missions are perfect for you." Unfortunately, the one who most needed to hear this wasn't paying attention at all.

"Last night I had pork ramen." Naruto told his teammates. "So, miso sounds good for…"

"If you want something miso flavored, then I'll make miso soup, but I'm not letting you eat instant ramen every night." April said firmly with her arms crossed.

"Hey_!_!_!_ Listen_!_!" The Hokage yelled at them. Sure nutrition was important, but they could talk about that anytime!

"I… I apologize…" Kakashi said a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Before he knew it, he had gotten sucked into their little dinner debate, too…

"Geez_!_! All you do id give lectures like that." Naruto grumbled as he turned back around to face the old man. "But you know what_!_!_?_ I'm not the troublemaking brat you still think I am_!_!_!_" He shouted before turning his back on him again with a huff, pouting.

'No, you've leveled up to 'loudmouthed punk' since then…' April thought with a wry smile.

'I'm going to get yelled at later for this…' Kakashi thought with another sigh. But both Iruka and the Hokage smiled slightly.

'Hehe, he used to only be able to express himself through pranks.' The Hokage thought, pleased with his growth. "All right." He said.

"Huh?" Naruto said, looking back at him.

"If you want it that much… I'll give you a C-rank mission." The Hokage told him, surprising them all. "It's a protection mission of a certain individual."

"Really_!_?" Naruto asked excitedly, immediately perking up. "Yay!"

'Sweet!' April thought with a grin, though she noticed Kakashi-sensei didn't seem too thrilled about the idea. Or maybe he was just in shock because the Hokage actually agreed with Naruto for once?

"So who is it_!_!_?_ Who_!_!_?_" Naruto asked. "A feudal lord_!_!_?_ A princess_!_!_?_"

"Calm down." The Hokage said. "I'm about to introduce him. Hey, will you come in here?" He called out to the client, who was waiting in the other room. They all turned as the door slid open and saw that their client was an older man in glasses, who was dressed like he was ready for a long journey, and holding a bottle of sake. He must have been drinking it while he was waiting, because his cheeks looked a little flushed.

"What's this?" The old man asked, taking another drink from the bottle. "They're all a bunch of super brats. Especially… the shortest one with the super stupid-looking face. Are you really a ninja? Hey_!_!_?_"

'Is he drunk…?' April wondered, sweat-dropping, as Naruto laughed.

"Haha_!_! Who's the shortest one with the stupid face…" Naruto started to ask as he glanced around at his teammates. They all took a step closer to help make their differences in height more obvious. April was the tallest, followed by Sasuke, then Sakura, and then… "!" Naruto tensed when he realized it was him. "I'll kill you_!_!_!_" He shouted with a vein throbbing on his forehead at the man who had just insulted him, while April held him back.

"I understand how you feel, but calm down!" She said with a wry smile, sweat-dropping.

"What's the point of killing the man you're supposed to protect, idiot?" Kakashi chided him, slightly chagrined.

"I am the super expert bridge builder, Tazuna." The old man introduced himself. "I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

'Something tells me that'll be easier said than done…' April thought as she continued to hold back an irate Naruto.

–∞–

Fortunately, the time allowed for the members of Team 7 to pack and make their own preparations for the mission and the journey ahead of them had given Naruto a chance to cool off, and by the time they were all ready to leave, he was much more excited about the mission.

"Let's go_!_!_!_" Naruto cheered enthusiastically as they passed through the village gate.

"Yeah_!_!_!_" April cheered in response with shining eyes, equally excited.

'She's sparkling…' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping.

"What are you two so excited about?" Sakura asked.

"Because… I've never left the village before." Naruto said as he glanced around, trying to take in everything all at once.

"Right!" April said, brimming with anticipation. "Aren't you curious about the world outside?"

'Ah, that's right… Even though she's originally from another world, she's never actually set foot outside the village before.' Kakashi realized.

"Aren't you originally from another country?" Sakura reminded her.

"Oh, well…" April said, sweat-dropping, when she realized the mistake she had just made since only a few people actually knew the truth about her origins. "I mean, it's been a year since I came here, so it _feels _like forever since I've been outside..." She corrected herself with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her neck.

"… Hey_!_! Am I really gonna be safe with these brats?" Tazuna asked, pointing specifically at April and Naruto, causing both kids to sweat-drop while looking chagrined.

"Haha… Well, I am a jōnin, so don't worry." Kakashi said reassuringly.

'Wow, thanks for the support, Sensei…' April thought disappointedly. 'Well, I guess I was acting a little unprofessional.' She conceded, crossing her arms, as she gave herself a mental kick and to get her head in the game.

'Damn it_!_!' Naruto thought, seriously irritated. 'This geezer is the worst possible client. I should give him a shot in the face_!_!' "Hey, old man_!_!_!_ Don't mess with ninjas_!_!" He yelled abruptly. "I'm incredible_!_! One day, I'll take on the super elite ninja title Hokage_!_!_!_ My name is Naruto Uzumaki_!_!_!_ Remember it_!_!"

"Hokage is the village's #1 ninja, right?" Tazuna asked, taking another drink from his bottle of sake. "I doubt someone like you could become it…"

"Shut up_!_!_!_" Naruto snapped with a vein throbbing on his head. "I'm prepared to do anything to become Hokage_!_! Once I become Hokage, you'll have to acknowledge me_!_!_!_"

"No I won't, you brat, even if you did become Hokage." Tazuna said bluntly, causing him to flinch in shock.

"…." Naruto grit his teeth as multiple veins throbbed on his head.

'3… 2… 1…' April thought, grabbing onto Naruto to hold him back as he reached his boiling point and exploded.

_"I'll kill you!_!_!"_ He shouted furiously at the old man.

"I said stop, moron." Kakashi told the fuming genin, giving him what April liked to call a 'Gibbs slap'.

"Umm… Tazuna-san?" Sakura said tentatively after they had been walking for awhile.

"What?" Tazuna asked grumpily.

"You're from the Land of Waves, right?"

"What about it?"

"Umm… Kakashi-sensei? Do they have ninjas in that country, too?" Sakura asked.

"No, not in the Land of Waves." Kakashi replied. "But, in most other countries… The culture and customs may be different, but other hidden villages exist, as do other ninjas. To the many countries of the continent, the existence of a shinobi village means military power. This is how they hold and maintain advantages over each other. But it's not that the villages rule the countries, they merely stand equally with the country's government."

"But if the Land of Waves doesn't have a shinobi village, then doesn't that leave them open to attack?" April asked. She remembered them being pretty much just a dot on the world map that she had studied to brush up on this world's geography.

"A small island country like the Land of Waves doesn't receive much interference from the larger countries and may not need a shinobi village." Kakashi explained. "Since among the countries that use shinobi villages the Land of Fire, Land of Water, Land of Lightning, Land of Wind, and Land of Earth occupy large masses of land and possess immense power, they are known as The Five Great Ninja Powers. Their corresponding hidden villages are Leaf, Mist, Cloud, Sand, and Stone, and only the leader of each of these villages is allowed to carry the title of 'Kage'. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage, otherwise known as the 'Five Kages' reign over the thousands of ninjas that exist in the countries throughout the world."

'In other words… even though the Hokage looks like a decrepit old man, he's actually a badass… like Yoda from Star Wars.' April thought, holding her chin. Sweet.

"Wow_!_! Hokage-sama is the best_!_!" Sakura said brightly. 'That lame geezer is that incredible? Sounds fishy…' Inner Sakura thought skeptically.

'That has to be a lie…' Naruto thought, remembering how easily he had defeated the old man using his sexy jutsu.

"You guys just doubted Hokage-sama, didn't you?" Kakashi asked, causing everyone apart from April to flinch guiltily. "But don't worry." He said with a reassuring smile, placing a hand on top of Sakura's head since she looked the most worried. "There won't be any ninja combat in a C-rank mission."

"Then we won't come in contact with foreign ninjas?" Sakura asked, relieved.

"…!" Tazuna said, looking uneasy.

"Of course not!" Kakashi said with a laugh.

"…" Sasuke furrowed his brow as he and April both noticed the odd expression on their client's face.

"That's weird…" April remarked when she spotted a puddle coming up on the side of the road, staring at it as they passed. The rest of the ground was bone dry…

"Don't lag behind." Kakashi said as he too spared the puddle a glance, giving her a nudge to push her forward so that she was in front of him. Behind them, the head of a dangerous looking ninja with a Hidden Mist forehead protector silently emerged from the puddle. Two enemy ninjas rose up from the small puddle and launched themselves at Kakashi, looping their bladed chain around the jōnin in a surprise attack.

"_!_!" April gasped, spinning around when she felt their killing intent, but it was too late, they already had Kakashi right where they wanted him.

"What_!_!_?_" Kakashi said as his eye widened in surprise upon finding himself suddenly restrained.

"Huh_!_?" Sakura gasped.

"What's this_!_!_?"_ Naruto asked as Tazuna gasped in alarm.

"One down." The enemy ninja said as they pulled the chain taught. Their eyes widened in horror as they watched the bladed chain slice clean through Kakashi's flesh and bone.


	11. Chapter10: Two Down

**Previously:**

_"What!?" Kakashi said as his eye widened in surprise upon finding himself suddenly restrained._

_"Huh!?" Sakura gasped._

_"What's this!?" Naruto asked as Tazuna gasped in alarm._

_"One down." The enemy ninja said as they pulled the chain taught. Their eyes widened in horror as they watched the bladed chain slice clean through Kakashi's flesh and bone._

* * *

**Chapter 10: Two Down**

* * *

It had all happened so fast, that before the four genin even had time to register what had just happened, what was left of their teacher was already hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

"Kyaa_!_!_!_" Sakura screamed as April furrowed her brow and grit her teeth.

"Ka…_!_!_!_ Kakashi-sensei_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled breaking out into a cold sweat, too horrified by what he had just seen to move.

"_!_!_!_" April gasped in alarm when the enemy made their next move.

"Two down." The Mist ninjas said ominously as they reappeared behind Naruto, preparing to loop their chain around him next. April and Sasuke immediately sprang into action. Securing the chain would not only save Naruto, but it should keep them from moving right away since it was attached to those gauntlets on their arms. She launched herself into the air as she drew a shuriken and kunai, throwing the shuriken to pin the chain to the tree before they could pull it taught, followed by the kunai through the hole in her shuriken to make sure it stayed secure and wouldn't be pulled loose.

"_!_!" The enemy ninjas gasped in surprise and alarm.

'I'm stuck!' One of them realized when he tried and failed to yank the chain back as Sasuke landed on their arms and took advantage of their immobility to throw his legs out behind him while holding onto the gauntlets and deliver swift and powerful kicks to both of their heads simultaneously. Sasuke then pushed himself forward to move out of the way as April came back down and slammed the heels of her feet into their locked elbows with enough force to break their joints.

'W… Wow_!_!' Naruto thought, stunned, as the enemy grunted in pain. As April pushed up off them into a flip, the mist ninjas quickly released their gauntlets from the chain so they could get away before any further damage could be done.

"!" April said, furrowing her brow when they suddenly shot back away from her and Sasuke. The arms wielding their main weapons, the gauntlets, had been rendered useless, so the mist ninjas each pulled out a wicked looking kunai. "Move your ass, Naruto_!_!_!_" She shouted while she was still in the air, throwing more kunai at them.

"Uwaa_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled in surprise and alarm when the two ninjas easily deflected her kunai this time and flew straight past him, making a beeline for Tazuna.

"_!_!" Sakura and the old man gasped in alarm.

'He's coming…_!_!' Sakura thought, breaking out into a nervous sweat as they headed straight for their client. She was the closest one. 'I have to do it_!_!' "Sir, get back!" She shouted as she threw herself between Tazuna and his attackers, gripping a kunai tightly in her sweaty hands.

"_!_!" Tazuna exclaimed with wide eyes as Sasuke and April whipped their heads around and saw the trouble they were in. The moment her feet touched the ground, April took off like a shot after him, and the two genin just barely managed to slide in between them and the enemy to form a shield as the two ninjas thrust their kunai forward to attack. April braced herself for impact, but it never came. At the last moment, a flash of silver, green, and navy swooped in and pulled the enemy back.

"_!_!" Everyone gasped.

"Guah_!_!" The two enemy ninjas cried out in pain as Kakashi clotheslined them and used the crook of his bended arms to choke them unconscious in one swift and fluid attack.

"Yo." Their fully intact teacher greeted them calmly. Naruto just stared at him, stunned.

'Thank God…_!_!' April thought with a huge sigh of relief. 'We've been saved!'

'Kakashi-sensei's… alive_!_?' Sakura thought, feeling immensely relieved. The way he saved them was so cool!

'Tch. Show off…' Sasuke thought, unimpressed.

"Geez, that was pretty mean of you, Sensei… That substitution jutsu was so realistic that I was beginning to worry." April told Kakashi, holding a hand to her forehead. Did he have to take so long to help them?

"Ah_!_!" Naruto gasped in realization. "Then, that was…!" He glanced over at their sensei's 'remains'. He could now clearly see that what they had thought was flesh and blood was really just a sliced up log.

"Ah, sorry for scaring you like that." Kakashi apologized with a wry smile. But those ninja were chūnin level, so he had to make it convincing. "Naruto, sorry for not saving you right away. I got you injured. I didn't think you would freeze like that." He added before turning back to the others. "Anyway, good job, Sasuke and April." He praised the main stars of the show. That was some nice teamwork. "Sakura, too."

'I couldn't so anything…' Naruto thought as a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face. Even when April shouted at him, he still couldn't get himself to move in time. 'Yet he… It was his first real battle. Wasn't he scared at all?' He wondered, furrowing his brow as he stared at Sasuke. 'He looks as if nothing happened, and he doesn't even have a speck of dust on him. He even helped save me…'

"Hey_!_!" Sasuke called out when he noticed Naruto's staring. "You all right… scaredy cat?" He asked mockingly.

_"!_!_!_" Naruto's face twisted in anger and embarrassment as a vein throbbed on his forehead.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said firmly, interrupting before it turned into a fight. "Save it for later. Their claws are soaked in poison. We have to remove it quickly."

"!" Naruto and April gasped in alarm. She hadn't been worried because it was a minor and shallow wound, but now…

"What do we do?" She asked, clenching her fists.

"We have to open up the wound and release the poisoned blood from Naruto's body." Kakashi explained calmly. "Don't move much. The poison will spread." He instructed Naruto before addressing their client. "Tazuna-san."

"What is it?" Tazuna asked nervously.

"I need to talk to you." Kakashi stated seriously.

"These guys look like chūnin class ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi said once they had finished tying the their enemies securely to a tree. "These shinobis are known to keep fighting no matter what the cost.

"How were you able to detect our movements?" One of them asked, glaring up at the Hidden Leaf jōnin.

"On a sunny day like this, when it hasn't rained in days, there isn't going to be a puddle." Kakashi replied matter-of-factly. He had known what they were up to the moment he spotted it.

"Oh, so that's how they snuck up on us so fast… They used a technique to move through the puddle the same way you used one to move through the earth during out bell test?" April asked.

"Correct." Kakashi said, giving her a pat on the head for figuring it out. Once she knew something was possible, she was very quick to adapt to the situation.

"If you knew that, why did you let the brats fight?" Tazuna asked.

"If I had wanted to, I could have killed these two instantly, but… There was something I needed to find out." Kakashi said, glancing sideways at him. "Who these two were after."

"?" Tazuna frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Meaning… Were they after you, or one of us." Kakashi clarified, furrowing his brow. "We haven't heard that there are shinobis after you. Our mission was to simply protect you from thieves or gangs. This has now become at least a B-ranked mission. This was supposed to be simple protection until you completed the bridge."

"…" Tazuna remained silent as he looked down with a grim expression on his face.

"If it was known that ninjas were after you, this mission would have been set as the more expensive B-rank." Kakashi continued. "I'm sure you had a reason, but it causes problems when you lie about a mission. We are now operating outside of our duties."

"We aren't ready for this mission. Let's quit_!_!" Sakura said nervously. "We will need medicine for Naruto's wound. We should go back to the village and take him to a doctor…"

"I agree." April said, surprising her fellow genin. She didn't want to quit, but she was worried about Naruto. "I think getting proper treatment for Naruto should be our first priority now. Meanwhile, it'll give us a chance to hear more details from Tazuna-san in a safer environment. We can decide what to do next after that."

"Hmm…" Kakashi said thoughtfully, glancing from the girls to the wounded Naruto. That was a pretty sound analysis. "This might be too much… I guess we should return to the village to treat Naruto's wound." Naruto furrowed his brow and grit his teeth.

No way was he going to be their reason for quitting_!_! He grabbed one of his own kunai and stabbed his wounded hand.

"_!_!" Sakura, April, and Tazuna gasped as everyone stared at Naruto in astonishment.

'Why is there so much of a difference?' Naruto wondered. 'Why am I always… Damn it_!_!_!_'

"Naruto_!_! What are you doing_!_!_?_" Sakura demanded incredulously.

'I should be becoming stronger…' Naruto thought, remembering how he had been training everyday since becoming a genin. 'I've completed many missions and even practice my jutsu everyday by myself and with April. I'm never going to need saving ever again… I'm not going to be afraid and try to run… I won't lose to Sasuke… I swear it on this pain in my left hand.' His wounded hand was trembling from the pain as blood flowed down his kunai and dripped onto the ground. "With this kunai… I'll protect the old man. We're continuing the mission_!_!" He declared with determination burning in his eyes.


	12. Chapter11: Disembark

**Previously:**

_'I should be becoming stronger…' Naruto thought, remembering how he had been training everyday since becoming a genin. 'I've completed many missions and even practice my jutsu everyday by myself and with April. I'm never going to need saving ever again… I'm not going to be afraid and try to run… I won't lose to Sasuke… I swear it on this pain in my left hand.' His wounded hand was trembling from the pain as blood flowed down his kunai and dripped onto the ground. "With this kunai… I'll protect the old man. We're continuing the_ mission_!_!"_ He declared with determination burning in his eyes._

* * *

**Chapter 11: Disembark**

* * *

"Naruto…" Kakashi said as they all stared at him. "It's nice that you took out the poisoned blood so spiritedly, but… anymore, and you'll die from lack of blood."

"Seriously, it's gushing out like a fountain!" April said anxiously. "Apply some pressure to it already_!_!"

"…_!_!" Naruto gasped, flinching in shock as he started to visibly pale. "No_!_!_!_ That's bad_!_!_!_" He yelled. "I can't die from something like this_!_!"

"Let me see your hand." Kakashi said, squatting down in front of his anxious student, while April started pulling medical supplies out of one of her pouches.

"No_!_!_!_ Save me, Sensei_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled, panicking.

"Naruto, are you a masochist? What were you thinking_!_?" Sakura asked him.

"He clearly wasn't." April stated rather bluntly as she handed Kakashi a roll of bandages, causing the younger girl to sweat-drop.

"!" April and Kakashi's eyes widened slightly when they realized the wound was actually getting smaller.

'The cut… It's already healing…' Kakashi thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Umm… Hey… Am I going to be… okay?" Naruto asked nervously. Why did those two have such serious expressions on their faces…? It was kind of scary…

"You should be fine." Kakashi said calmly as he finished wrapping his hand. 'Must be the power of the nine-tails.' He thought, shooting April a quick look to remind her not to say anything to the others, since he knew she already knew the secret from being involved with the incident with Mizuki. She gave him a subtle nod to show she understood.

"… Sensei…" Tazuna said, addressing Kakashi. "I… Have to talk to you. It's about this mission…" That got everyone's attention. "You're right, this job is most likely outside of your duties. It turns out that a super dangerous man is after my life."

"Super dangerous man?" Kakashi asked.

"…" Tazuna seemed hesitant to answer.

"Who?"

"You've probably at least heard his name before." Tazuna said with a sigh.

"…" Kakashi just stared at him, waiting for him to say it.

"A wealthy shipping magnate… a man named Gatō." Tazuna finally admitted.

"?" April had personally never heard of him, but she could tell this Gatō guy must actually be pretty famous by their sensei's reaction.

"Huh_!_!_?_" Kakashi said as his eyes widened, obviously surprised by this turn of events. "Gatō… From the Gatō Company? He's one of the richest men in this world."

"Yes." Tazuna replied grimly. "Officially, he runs a large shipping company… but secretly, he sells drugs and other illegal items, using ninjas and gang members to takeover other businesses and small countries. He's a very nasty man."

'Oh, great. So on top of enemy ninjas, now we have to worry about the Godfather, too?' April thought, sweat-dropping. She could see where this was going now.

"It was about a year ago when he set his sights on the Land of Waves." Tazuna continued. "Through money and violence, he quickly took control of the country's shipping industry. Gatō now has a monopoly on all business traffic in the country. On an island like the Land of Waves, controlling the sea means the power to rule over the wealth, politics, and people. The only thing he has to fear now is the completion of the bridge."

"I see…" April said with a frown. That explained why Gatō would put a hit on an ordinary guy like Tazuna-san.

"So, you as the one building the bridge… became an obstacle to him." Sakura said thoughtfully, holding her chin.

"Then, those ninjas were hired by Gatō?" Sasuke said.

"…?" Naruto sweat-dropped, feeling totally lost.

"Gatō is the bad guy, and he's sending other people to do his dirty work." April whispered upon seeing his confusion.

"Oh…" Naruto said, frowning. Why didn't they just say that in the first place?

"But what I don't understand is, if you knew ninjas could be after you, then why did you hide that fact when you hired us?" Kakashi asked.

"Is it a problem of money?" April asked.

"Yes. The Land of Waves is super poor." Tazuna answered as bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. It was embarrassing, but she had hit the nail on the head. "Even the Feudal Lord has no money. Of course, we don't have much money either… not enough for the expensive B-rank mission." Kakashi furrowed his brow slightly. That was probably because of Gatō's monopoly on the island's shipping industry.

"So, you sacrificed safety for economy." April concluded. "Is it because shipping is the country's main industry, and all the money from that ends up in Gatō's pocket?"

"That's part of it." Tazuna agreed. This girl was turning out to be a lot more capable than she looked. "Well, if you quit your mission now, I'll definitely be killed… But don't worry about it_!_!_!_" He said with a brilliant shit-eating grin. "If I die, my cute ten-year-old grandson will just cry his eyes out for several days_!_!_!_"

"…" Kakashi said as he and April stared at the man, slumping slightly as Naruto and Sakura started sweat, feeling guilty. Sasuke looked unimpressed.

"Oh, yeah, and my daughter will live a miserable and lonely life hating leaf ninjas forever. But it won't be your fault. Not at all_!_!_!_" He added, laying it on really thick, as he delivered the final blow.

"Well, I guess we have no choice." Kakashi said with a sigh. We'll protect you, at least until you get back to your country."

'I win.' Tazuna thought with a straight face as he turned away.

'He's completely mastered the 'guilt-trip jutsu' April thought, sweat-dropping. She was sort of used to dealing with this kind of thing. That was a guilt trip that would have made Casey's mom proud…

–∞–

"The mist is so thick, I can't see what's ahead." Sakura remarked as they were all ferried across the sea in a small boat. Fortunately, they had managed to make it off of the main continent without any further incidents.

'Yeah, it's worse than LA smog…' April thought wryly.

"We should see the bridge soon." The owner and driver of the boat informed them as he paddled and steered through the currents with an oar. "The Land of Waves is at the base of the bridge." As they continued forward, the silhouette of a massive structure started to loom into view.

"Wow_!_!_!_ It's huge_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted excitedly. as they got their first clear view of the bridge causing so much fuss.

"Hey, be quiet!" The ferryman whispered-yelled nervously. "Why do you think we're hiding in the mist and not using the engine? We'll be in deep trouble if Gatō finds us." Naruto quickly clapped his hands over his mouth as nervous beads of sweat rolled down the side of his and Sakura's faces, while his fellow genin stared at.

'Well, it is pretty impressive…' April thought, glancing back up at the incomplete bridge. It looked like it would probably be about the same size as the Golden Gate Bridge once it was done. She smiled a little nostalgically at the memory of the familiar landmark. She missed the view of the bay from that red suspension bridge.

"…" Kakashi said, quietly observing everyone's reactions as he kept on the lookout for any signs of trouble.

"We're almost there." The ferryman said as the land ahead came into view. "Tazuna, it looks like we've avoided detection so far, but… Just in case, we'll take the route that has vegetation. It will make it harder to spot us."

"Thanks." Tazuna said. He appreciated the risk he was taking to help them. Everyone was silent as the boat glided through one of the arches of the smaller arch-bridge that had been built to connect to the larger bridge. April blinked as they emerged from the dark tunnel back into the bright light of day.

"Heheh. Wow." Naruto grinned, staring in wonder as they entered a small bay that was scattered with some small, mangrove-like trees, surrounded by houses that had been built right on the water. They all looked like they were on stilts. April smiled slightly. At least Naruto was enjoying himself. The ferryman carefully maneuvered through the vegetation and pulled his boat alongside the dock on one of the buildings that connected to the land and let them off.

"This is it for me." The ferryman said. "Goodbye and good luck."

"Yeah, super thanks." Tazuna said as they watched him speed away, using the motor on his boat. "Ok_!_! Get me home safely." Tazuna told the ninjas once he was gone.

"Hai, Hai." Kakashi said as they all started walking, with Naruto quickly rushing forward to take the lead. 'If we get attacked again, it'll surely be a Jōnin rather than a chūnin…' He thought with a sigh. Couldn't say he was looking forward to that.

'I'm surprised they haven't sent another assassin yet.' April thought, sticking close to their client, as she carefully scanned the area for any signs that might give away the hint of an enemy. 'Oh, crap… I just jinxed us, didn't I?' She sweat-dropped and resisted the urge to face-palm.

Naruto furrowed his brow slightly in annoyance when Sasuke increased his stride to catch up and walk in the front with him.

"Okay… I'm not going to let this guy take the good parts anymore." Naruto thought, gritting his teeth, as he rushed out ahead, stopping to look around. "!" He suddenly gasped and quickly drew a shuriken. "There_!_!_!_" He shouted, throwing it into the bushes on the side of the road.

"!" Everyone else exclaimed in surprise. What the…_!_? They all stared at the bushes, waiting for something to happen. There was dead silence. Not even a thud or a groan.

"…" They all said as they glanced at Naruto, who was still holding the position he ended up in after throwing the shuriken, unimpressed. This was starting to get awkward now…

"Heh… Just a rat." Naruto said suavely as he straightened up, trying to play it off. If they weren't in such a dire situation, April would have laughed.

"Stop trying to act cool_!_!_!_" Sakura snapped. "There was nothing there_!_!"

"Hey, please stop using your shuriken..." Kakashi told him, sweat-dropping. "It's seriously dangerous." Naruto was going to end up killing some innocent passerby if he kept this up…!

"Hey, midget_!_!_!_ Stop acting like a moron_!_!" Tazuna shouted as multiple veins throbbed on his face and arms. "Don't scare us like that_!_!" The brat nearly gave him a heart attack!

"Hey, I think I see a shadow_!_!" Naruto exclaimed, ignoring them. "No, Wait_!_! It's over there!"

"…" Kakashi, Sasuke, and April all deadpanned as they watched him continue to jump around like an idiot. Did he have any idea how ridiculous he looked…?

"!" Kakashi and April suddenly whipped their heads to the side.

"There_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled, throwing another shuriken at the exact same spot that had caught their attention.

"I said stop_!_!_!_" Sakura shouted angrily, giving him a good whack.

"Oww_!_! Someone is after us, I swear." Naruto said defensively, rubbing his sore head, as Kakashi headed straight for the bushes with April on his tail.

"Yeah, right_!_!_!_"

"Ah…" April said, sweat-dropping, when she saw the 'threat' she thought she had sensed. It was a defenseless little white rabbit… The poor thing was paralyzed with fear, twitching. Naruto's shuriken had only missed it by an inch. 'Maybe I'm just getting paranoid…' It certainly didn't help her nerves to have Naruto constantly yelling out false alarms and flinging sharp, pointy objects everywhere…

"Oh_!_!" Sakura gasped when she came over and saw the poor rabbit. "Naruto_!_! What have you done_!_!_?_" She shouted incredulously.

"The poor thing nearly died of fright…" April said, glancing pointedly back at her loose-canon of a friend.

"I didn't mean it!" Naruto said, flinching guiltily. "I'm sorry little rabbit!" He cried as he scooped it up in his arms, cuddling it. The poor rabbit was so stunned, it didn't even react.

"Oh, it's just a rabbit." Tazuna said, relieved. For a moment there, he had been worried when Kakashi and the purple-haired girl had also reacted. Looks like it was just a false alarm.

"Say, Naruto… Have you ever heard the story of _The Boy Who Cried Wolf_?" April asked.

"Huh?" Naruto said, furrowing his brow in confusion as he glanced up at her. "No…"

"Hmm. Guess I better tell you then." April said with a brilliant shit-eating grin. "It's a children's story, but…"

'That's a snow rabbit… Yet it's spring, what's with the color of it's fur?' Kakashi wondered while April told the others her little story. 'The snow rabbit changes color based on the amount of sunlight. White is its color during the winter. This is a rabbit that's been kept in a cage for use in the substitution jutsu. So they're here already…' He thought seriously, narrowing his eyes slightly, as he glanced around.

"… Then the wolf ripped the boy to shreds and devoured him. The end." April finished calmly as Sakura, Naruto, and Tazuna stared at her in shock. That was supposed to be a _children's_ story? That had been pure nightmare material… What was wrong with the people from her country_!_?

"What kind of ending was that_!_?" Sakura demanded incredulously.

'A realistic one...' Sasuke thought.

"So, just to make sure you understand, Naruto, the moral of the story is: don't tell unnecessary lies or raise too many false alarms, or you could end up like the boy in that story." April explained patiently. "Now calm the heck down and save your energy for when there's a _real_ emergency!" She scolded him sternly.

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto said, sweating nervously, as he nodded his head vigorously to show that he understood. He had forgotten how scary April could be when she was mad…

'That's my kind of story.' The enemy ninja hiding who was spying on their group from a nearby tree thought as he sized up them up. 'I see… No wonder the Demon Brothers didn't stand a chance.' He gripped the hilt of his sword. 'The Hidden Village of Konoha's Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, is here.'

_SHP._

"_!_!" Kakashi gasped as the assassin sprung into action. "Everyone, get down_!_!" He shouted.

"!" The others all gasped in alarm. April instantly threw herself to the ground, pulling Tazuna and Naruto down with her as a ridiculously huge blade came flying at their group with such speed that they all just barely managed to duck in time.

"Whoa_!_!" Naruto exclaimed as it passed over his head.

FWIP. FWIP. FWIP. _THUNK!_

As the blade of large sword hit the trunk of a tree, a dangerous-looking mist ninja landed on it, using the flat side as a platform as he looked down on them. Kakashi immediately straightened up to face the enemy.

'This guy is…' He thought, narrowing his eyes slightly when he realized who he was dealing with.

'Hehe, here's my chance.' Naruto thought as he and the others got back on their feet as well. 'This time, I won't lose to Sasuke.'

"…" April furrowed her brow as she stared up at the ninja and the huge sword. She'd seen plenty of zanbatō in animes and mangas, but nothing like that in real life. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down the side of her face. Now that he wasn't hiding, it was easy to sense his chakra. The man standing before them was nothing like the chūnins they had faced before. This guy… was really dangerous…_!_!

"Well, well. If it isn't the Hidden Mist's missing-nin, Zabuza Momochi-kun." Kakashi said.

'Ready…' Naruto thought, preparing to rush the enemy. 'Go_!_!'

"_!_!" April gasped in alarm when he suddenly shot forward. Thankfully, Kakashi stopped him before he could get any further.

"!" Naruto exclaimed, surprised.

"Everybody get back." Kakashi said firmly in a tone that left no room for argument. "This one's on a whole different level."

"…" Zabuza said as he stared down at them, waiting for Kakashi to make his move.

'Against him…' Kakashi thought, reaching for his forehead protector. "It will be a little tough… unless I do this…" He said aloud, preparing to readjust his forehead protector so that he could use both eyes.


	13. Chapter12: It's Over

**Previously: **

_"Everybody get back." Kakashi said firmly in a tone that left no room for argument. "This one's on a whole different level."_

_"…" Zabuza said as he stared down at them, waiting for Kakashi to make his move._

_'Against him…' Kakashi thought, reaching for his forehead protector. "It will be a little tough… unless I do this…" He said aloud, preparing to readjust his forehead protector so that he could use both eyes._

* * *

**Chapter 12: It's Over**

* * *

"You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi…" Zabuza said. "Sorry, but the old man is mine."

'Huh? Sharingan?' April thought, frowning slightly in confusion. 'It sounds like they've both heard about each other before… Could it be they're both actually really famous?'

'Sharingan? What the hell is that_!_!_?_' Naruto wondered, furrowing his brow.

"?" Sakura said, also puzzled, while Tazuna gasped as if he recognized the name.

'Sharingan_!_?' Sasuke thought, eyes wide with surprise. No way… It couldn't be…_!_!

"Surround and protect Tazuna-san." Kakashi ordered his students calmly. "Do not enter the fight. That's the teamwork here." He finished firmly before addressing the enemy. "Zabuza, first…"

"_!_!_!_" Naruto gasped as Kakashi pushed his forehead protector up and opened his previously hidden eye, which was a vivid crimson red with three tiny black tomoe around the pupil. Unlike the others, who were further behind, he could see everything.

"… Fight me." Their teacher finished determinedly, glaring up at the dangerous missing-nin with both eyes.

'What's with… that eye?' Naruto wondered a little nervously. And why was there a scar over the skin on that side of his face?

"Ah… I already get to see the famous Sharingan." Zabuza remarked. "I'm honored."

"Sharingan_!_! Sharingan_!_! What the hell is it?" Naruto demanded, tired of feeling left out of the loop.

"… Sharingan…" Sasuke said lowly. "It is said that some have the ability in their eyes to read and defeat all types of gen, tai, and ninjutsu. That Sharingan is one of the types of pupils that gives you this power." He explained.

'Oh, so it's a dōjutsu.' April thought. She remembered reading about that somewhere before… She glanced at Kakashi. 'But then, why does he only have it one eye…?'

"But that's not the only ability the Sharingan has." Sasuke added.

"Huh?" Naruto said.

"Hehe, exactly." Zabuza said with a hint of dark humor. "What's even scarier, is that Sharingan can be used to copy your opponent's techniques once you see them."

'So that's why he called Kakashi-sensei the 'Copy Ninja'…' April thought.

"When I was a member of the Hidden Mist's assassination squad, your info was listed in the Bingo book I carried." Zabuza continued as he spoke, the mist around them thickened. "And this is what it said… The man who has copied over a 1,000 jutsu techniques, Kakashi the Copy Ninja."

'Over 1,000 techniques_!_? That's awesome_!_! But, this is bad…' April thought, furrowing her brow, as Kakashi and Zabuza exchanged glares. 'If he already knows about Sensei's jutsu, then unless Sensei knows more about him, it puts him at a serious disadvantage.'

'What's going on? First that old Hokage and now this sensei… I had no idea they were this great.' Sakura thought, surprised and amazed.

"A-Amazing_!_!_!_" Naruto exclaimed, extremely impressed.

'… What's going on?' Sasuke wondered, furrowing his brow. 'I don't understand… The Sharingan is a special physical condition that only appears in a select few members of the Uchiha clan. Could it be he…?'

"Now, let's cut the chit-chat." Zabuza said, lowering himself into a crouching position. "I have to kill that old man."

"_!_!" Tazuna gasped in alarm as the young genin quickly moved in to surround him protectively on all sides while their teacher stood his ground. They each had a kunai in their hands, with Sasuke guarding the front, Sakura and Naruto on the sides, and April taking care of the back in case he tried to sneak up on them from behind.

"But, Kakashi_!_!" Zabuza said, smirking beneath the bandages hiding the lower half of his face. "It seems… I have to beat you first." He pushed off against the tree and disappeared in a flash, taking his zanbatō with him.

"!" Kakashi followed his movements with his eyes.

"_!_!_!_" The others all gasped, instantly on their guard.

"Over there_!_!" Naruto shouted when the enemy reappeared, standing on the surface of the body of water only about a yard or so away from them.

"And on top of the water_!_!" Sakura exclaimed, shocked.

'Crap! I thought only Jesus could pull something like that off_!_!' April thought as a bead of nervous sweat formed on her brow.

'He's releasing a high amount of chakra…' Kakashi observed.

"Ninja technique: mist concealment justu." Zabuza said, using his chakra to create a dense mist to obscure their vision.

"He's gone_!_!" Naruto said, surprised.

"No, he's still here. Somewhere…" April said, furrowing her brow as she scanned their environment, trying to sense the enemy's presence. It was hard. Being surrounded by mist infused with his chakra made it more difficult to pinpoint his location.

"He'll come after me first." Kakashi said.

"What do you know about him, Sensei?" She asked.

"Zabuza Momochi… as a member of the Hidden Mist, he was known as an expert in silent killing. You don't even notice until you're already dead." He explained. "And it's not like I can use my Sharingan to its full potential. You guys be careful." Everyone grit their teeth and began to sweat nervously.

"Well, if we fail the worst thing that can happen is we'll die." April remarked wryly, causing Naruto and Sakura to flinch and Kakashi to sweat-drop. Hey, at least it would be quick, right?

"How can you be so carefree_!_!_?_" Sakura snapped incredulously. Seriously, what was wrong with this girl_!_?

"I can think of plenty of worse ways to go." April answered. Like cancer.

'The way her mind works really scares me sometimes…' Naruto thought, swallowing nervously. "Ah, the mist is getting thicker_!_!" He realized. They could barely even see Kakashi-sensei anymore.

"Eight choices." Zabuza's voice echoed through the dense mist.

"What_!_!_?_" Sakura gasped.

"Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, jugular vein, brain, kidneys, and heart. Which should I go for?" He asked ominously.

"_!_!" Everyone but Kakashi and April gasped in alarm. Those were all vital organs, so it was only natural for them to be targeted.

'How about 'none of the above'?' April thought, tightening her grip on her kunai as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face.

"…" Kakashi was waiting patiently and silently for Zabuza to make a move and give himself away. Something caught his attention and he quickly raised his hands, forming a seal.

"_!_!" The others were surprised when the pressure from his chakra blew away the mist that was immediately surrounding them, giving them a clear view of him again.

'What an incredibly dangerous ki… Sensei's getting serious.' April thought, furrowing her brow.

'What an intense thirst for blood… It feels like I'll be killed if I make even the slightest movement. This could drive a person crazy…' Sasuke thought nervously, dripping with cold sweat. 'The intensity of a jōnin… It feels like my life is being squeezed…' His body trembled as he started to lose it. 'I can't take it… I'd almost rather die now and get it over with…'

"Sasuke…" Kakashi said, surprising him. "Don't worry. I'll protect you guys even if it kills me. I won't let… my comrades die." He said determinedly, glancing back at them with a reassuring smile. His students all blushed a little at this comforting statement.

'Yeah, Kakashi-sensei's the best…!' April decided with a fond smile.

"We'll see about that_!_!" Zabuza said.

"_!_!" April gasped when she suddenly felt a spike in the enemy's chakra.

"_!_!_!_" Everyone gasped in alarm when Zabuza suddenly appeared inside their circle of protection, positioning himself so that Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were separated from Tazuna.

"It's over." Zabuza told them. April immediately reacted by pulling the old man into a one-handed shoulder throw, flipping him over her back and out of the way, as Zabuza started to swing his sword, and Kakashi spun around, launching himself at them.

"_!_!" Naruto, and Sakura yelled in horror and surprise as they and Sasuke were suddenly pushed aside as Kakashi grabbed Zabuza and thrust a kunai deep into his gut, stopping the swordsman dead in his tracks, as Tazuna hit the ground with a grunt. A bead of cold sweat rolled down the side of April's face. She trembled slightly as she took a few steps back to stand closer to the old man. That had been _way_ too close for comfort.

"Huh?" She said, furrowing her brow in confusion when she realized the 'blood' pouring from Zabuza's wound was clear like water. Her eyes widened. "Sensei—"

"—Behind you_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted as another Zabuza appeared behind him.

"!" Kakashi whipped his head around as the Zabuza he had just stabbed popped like a water balloon.

"Die!" The Zabuza behind him roared as he swung his sword.

"Gyaah_!_!" Sakura screamed as he cleaved their teacher in half. They were all immensely relived when that Kakashi turned into water. It was just another fake! Zabuza's eyes widened.

'Water clone justu_!_?' He thought, taken aback. 'No way_!_! He copied it in this mist_!_?'

"Don't move." Kakashi said darkly as he suddenly appeared right behind him, holding a kunai to his neck. "It's over_!_!"


	14. Chapter13: We're Ninja

**Previously:**

_"!" Kakashi whipped his head around as the Zabuza he had just stabbed popped like a water balloon._

_"Die!" The Zabuza behind him roared as he swung his sword._

"Gyaah_!_!"_ Sakura screamed as he cleaved their teacher in half. They were all immensely relived when that Kakashi turned into water. It was just another fake! Zabuza's eyes widened._

_'Water clone_ _justu!' He thought, taken aback. 'No_ _way! He copied it in this mist!_?'

_"Don't move." Kakashi said darkly as he suddenly appeared right behind him, holding a kunai to his neck. "It's_ over_!_!"

* * *

**Chapter 13: We're Ninja!**

* * *

"W-Wow_!_!" Naruto exclaimed, amazed.

"Haha!" Sakura laughed in relief.

'Badass…_!_!' April thought with the hint of a smirk, giving their teacher a mental thumbs up.

"… Hehe." Zabuza laughed. "Hehehe… It's over?" He asked mockingly.

"!" April frowned as Kakashi furrowed his brow. A cornered enemy was laughing confidently… That was never a good sign.

"You don't get it." Zabuza told Kakashi. "There's no way you can defeat me with your monkey-like imitations.

"…"

"Heheh… But that was impressive of you." Zabuza said. "When you gave that little speech, you had already copied my water clone jutsu. You had your clone say those words to attract my attention, while the real you hid in the mist and watched me. Nice plan, but… I'm also not that easy." He stated ominously.

"_!_!_!_" Kakashi said when he realized the real Zabuza was now right behind him.

"!" April gasped as the Zabuza in front of Kakashi collapsed. "Damn_!_!" She cursed. Another water clone!

"That one's a fake, too_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted incredulously. Kakashi whipped his head around as Zabuza started to swing his sword. Kakashi flattened himself into a low crouch to duck the deadly attack that should have cleaved him in two. Zabuza followed through by letting the moment of his sword dig it into the ground as he let go of the handle and finished spinning himself around, placing his other hand on the end of the handle to brace himself as he sent Kakashi flying with a kick before he could fully recover.

"_!_!" April's eyes widened in shock as she watched their teacher sail through the air over her head, and his eyes met hers. He gave her a look. _Move._

'Now!' Zabuza thought, charging forward. April dived to the side, managing to get out of his way just in time to avoid being cut down to clear his path. "_!_!" Zabuza said as he skidded to an abrupt halt when he noticed the tri-pronged caltrops Kakashi had spread to slow him down. 'Makibishi…!' He thought. "Hmph, how foolish…" He remarked as Kakashi landed in the water. And to think, he almost got him with such a simple trick… too bad Kakashi picked the worse possible place to land.

"!" April gasped in realization. So, that's what he was up to…

"Sensei_!_!" Naruto yelled.

"Kakashi-sensei… got knocked down?' Sakura thought, stunned.

'He's also strong in taijutsu…' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow.

'No wonder Sensei told me to move… I doubt the taijutsu techniques I know for fighting against a sword would have work on Zabuza. He's way too strong; my eyes can barely keep up with his movements! Even Sensei just barely managed to avoid taking damage as he let himself get thrown… If I try to help now, I'll just get in the way!' April thought, clenching her fists as Zabuza flickered out of sight, concealing himself in the mist again.

"!" Kakashi was surprised to find that he was having trouble moving. 'What? This water is heavy…'

"Sensei, get out of the water_!_!_!_" April yelled, realizing something was wrong when she saw his sluggish movements and saw a faint shadow appear in the mist behind him.

"_!_!" Kakashi said, alarmed when he realized what was happening.

"Heh, Fool." Zabuza said as he quickly performed several hand seals before he could escape. 'Water Prison Jutsu!'

'Damn_!_!' Kakashi cursed mentally as he suddenly enveloped in a sphere of swirling chakra-infused water. 'I thought I could use the water for cover, but it turned out to be a big mistake.'

"Heheheh, I now have you in my special inescapable prison." Zabuza told him. Kakashi could hear the smirk in his voice. "You give me a hard time when you can move. Now then, Kakashi… We can finish things later. First, I'll take care of them." He raised his free hand and formed a seal. 'Water Clone Justu.'

"!" Kakashi said, alarmed. 'He's stronger than I expected…!'

"!" The others gasped as a Zabuza's new water clone rose up put of the water directly in front of them.

"Heheh, wearing forehead protectors and acting like real ninjas…" The clone laughed mockingly at the four genin. "But you know what? A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death."

'By that definition, I might actually be a little over qualified…' April thought with a straight face.

"In other words, you can start calling yourself a ninja once you're good enough to be listed in my Bingo book. You four shouldn't be referred to as ninjas." The clone finished, flickering out sight.

"_!_!" Naruto gasped. 'He disappeared again_!_!' April's eyes widened.

"Naruto_!_!" She shouted, shooting towards him as the clone appeared right in front of him, delivering a kick to the head that was so strong, it not only sent Naruto flying, but took off his forehead protector as well. April pivoted on her heel and changed her trajectory slightly, while Zabuza's clone slammed his foot down on top of the forehead protector, grinding it into the dirt.

"You're just brats." The clone said disdainfully.

"Naruto_!_!" Sakura cried in alarm as she and Sasuke watched her run alongside Naruto as he sailed through the air. His posture… He wasn't taking the fall right_!_!

"Safe_!_!" April said as she slid in front of Naruto, managing to catch him just in time.

"Oh? Not too bad, for a brat." The real Zabuza remarked, watching as he held Kakashi prisoner. "That one might actually be worth killing." But even if that one could keep up with his speed, she still didn't stand a chance. Her chakra levels were pathetic.

"Guh_!_!" Kakashi grit his teeth. It looked like April had managed to get Zabuza's attention in the worst way possible! "You guys_!_!_!_ Take Tazuna-san and run away_!_!_!_" He shouted desperately at his students. He wasn't about to let them die, not again_!_! "You have no chance of beating him_!_! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison, he can't move. The water clone can't go very far from his real body. Just run away now_!_!"

They all looked terrified. Even Sasuke had broken out into a cold sweat. The only one who looked even remotely calm was April, but her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white, and her nails were threating to cut through the skin of her palms.

'This is a jōnin, a real ninja.' Naruto thought, shaking in fear. 'At this rate… I'm really… really… going to die_!_!' Naruto shifted into a crouching position to push himself up off of the ground and run away, but he felt a sharp pain in his bandaged hand, reminding him it was wounded. "!" He gasped as he stared down at it, remembering the promise he had made earlier. He clenched his fist.

"Run?" April asked through gritted teeth as she straightened up. "You must be joking, Sensei!" She said sternly, surprising the others. "That stopped being an option the moment you got caught." She looked down as a drop of blood fell from one of her hands. "Even if we run, Zabuza will get to us sooner or later, and even if we try to surround Tazuna-san to protect him, we can't block his attacks. He'll go right through us again. Without you there, it'll be a slaughter!"

"_!_!" Kakashi gasped, realizing she was right. Zabuza laughed. At least one of them understood their current situation.

"But most importantly… I don't want to let any of my comrades die, either_!_!_!_" She finished resolutely, raising her head to reveal eyes burning brightly with determination. Kakashi's eyes widened.

'April…' He thought.

"!" Sakura and Sasuke said, remembering their teacher's promise to protect them.

"That's right." Naruto said as he pushed himself up to stand beside her, remembering how he had earned his forehead protector from Iruka-sensei and that first lesson Kakashi had taught them about what was most important for a ninja as he kept his eyes focused on it. "I became a ninja, and decided I wouldn't run away anymore… I won't run_!_!" He roared as he charged recklessly toward the clone.

"No_!_! Don't_!_!" Kakashi yelled.

"He…" Sasuke said, taken aback.

"Naruto, what are you thinking_!_?" Sakura shouted frantically.

"Hmph, Idiot_!_!" Zabuza sneered.

_WHAM!_! SHING! SHING! SHING!

"!" Sakura gasped as Naruto was sent tumbling back with another kick, but even more surprising was when they all realized the clone had to stepped to the side for a moment in order to dodge three kunai. It had been so fast, only Zabuza and Kakashi had caught the moment they were thrown, but everyone could see the kunais that were now embedded in the ground behind the water clone.

'Those kunai had left April's hands only a fraction of a second after Naruto charged… She knew what he was going to do and threw them to distract the clone, in case it tried a second attack, while Naruto got away!' Kakashi realized.

"What are you doing jumping in all by yourself_!_!_?"_ Sakura yelled at Naruto. "Genins like us have no chance against him_!_!_!_" She expected wanted to scold him too.

"Did you get it?" April asked instead.

"!" Sakura and Sasuke said, surprised by her calm reaction.

'Huh? Get what…?' Sakura wondered as Naruto started to straighten up, grunting in pain. He had managed to catch himself that time, but it was still a rough landing, and that had been a really mean kick. He held up his forehead protector in response to April's question, gripping it firmly in his injured hand.

'His forehead protector…_!_?' Sakura thought, surprised.

"…" Sasuke said as he, Kakashi and Zabuza looked on while Naruto finished straightening up.

"Hey… you eyebrowless freak…" Naruto said, addressing the Zabuza that had just kicked him, as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. A vein throbbed on the clone's head. "Put this in your bingo book… The man who will one day become Hokage…" He raised his forehead protector and put it back on. "… is the leaf ninja, Naruto Uzumaki_!_!" He finished boldly with a smirk, staring down his enemy as he pulled the knot tight.

'Naruto…' Kakashi thought as a vein throbbed on the real Zabuza's forehead.

'Oh… That midget…' Tazuna thought, a little impressed by the kid's guts. 'He's not as super useless as I first thought…'

"Sasuke_!_! Lend me your ear_!_!" Naruto said.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"I have a plan." Naruto stated confidently.

'He came up with a plan in this situation…?' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow. "Hmph… teamwork, from you?" He said aloud.

"Today's just full of surprises, isn't it?" April quipped. She had a feeling she knew what Naruto's plan was if he was involving Sasuke, and she approved.

'What's this feeling?' Sakura wondered as she watched them, blushing. 'This is Naruto…'

"Now… Let's get wild…" Naruto said, grinning, as he wiped the blood from his mouth.


	15. Chapter14: Secret Plan

**Previously:**

_"I have a plan." Naruto stated confidently._

_'He came up with a plan in this situation…?' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow. "Hmph… teamwork, from you?" He said aloud._

_"Today's just full of surprises, isn't it?" April quipped. She had a feeling she knew what Naruto's plan was if he was involving Sasuke, and she approved._

_'What's this feeling?' Sakura wondered as she watched them, blushing. 'This is Naruto…'_

_"Now… Let's get wild…" Naruto said, grinning, as he wiped the blood from his mouth._

* * *

**Chapter 14: Secret Plan**

* * *

"A lot of arrogance… But do you even stand a chance?" Zabuza's clone asked them mockingly. These brats just didn't know when to quit.

'This is bad…' Kakashi thought. At this rate, Zabuza really was going to kill them! "What are you doing_!_!_?_ Run away_!_!_!_" He yelled. "This fight was over the moment I was caught_!_! Our duty is to protect Tazuna-san_!_! Did you forget that_!_!_?_"

'Did you forget we've already been over this_!_!_?_' April wanted to yell back. "What do you want to do, Tazuna-san?" She asked instead, keeping her eyes fixed on the enemy. "You're the client…"

"Old man…" Naruto said, glancing back him.

"… Well…" Tazuna said slowly with his face hidden in the shadow of his wide hat. "I planted this seed myself. I'm not going to now say that I desire to live so much that I'd stop you. I'm sorry guys…" He apologized, raising his head. He had been particularly touched by Naruto's and April's words and actions. "Fight as much as you want." He told the kids with a cheeky grin.

"Thank you, Tazuna-san." April said gratefully as she and the boys smirked. "Sorry, Sensei, but that's the way it is. We're doing this."

"Hmph. You hear that?" Sasuke said coolly.

"You ready?" Naruto asked Zabuza cockily.

"Hah… Hahaha… You guys will never grow up." Zabuza's clone said, laughing at them.

"What_!_?" Naruto asked defensively, furrowing his brow.

"Going to keep 'playing' ninja, eh?" The clone asked sardonically. "When I was about your age…" He said, raising one of his hands. "These hands were already dyed red with blood."

"_!_!" Naruto and most of the others flinched and gulped nervously, but April wasn't surprised. He didn't look that much older than Kakashi, and they already knew that he and at least one of his friends had participated in the last ninja war, which would have started when they were only kids… If she had her math right.

"The Demon… Zabuza…" Kakashi said, furrowing his brow.

"Ah… So you've heard a little about it." The real Zabuza said.

"Long ago, the Hidden Mist village was also known as the Blood Mist village... In that village, there existed a final obstacle to becoming a ninja…" Kakashi said grimly.

"Hm… You even know about that graduation exam…" Zabuza commented.

"That graduation exam?" April asked, furrowing her brow. She didn't like where this was going.

"Heheh." Zabuza's clone just laughed.

"Hey, what's this graduation exam thing_!_?" Naruto demanded impatiently. The clone laughed again. Naruto grit his teeth.

"Fights to the death between students." The clone sneered, finally answering.

"!" April frowned and clenched her jaw, appalled. She knew it was naïve to think things like that wouldn't happen in this world, but she had hoped…

'Huh…?' Naruto thought as his eyes widened, stunned. The thought of something so horrible didn't even compute for him.

"…" Kakashi watched his students with concern. It was a harsh reality to face.

"Friends who have trained and eaten together at the same table are separated into groups of two and forced to fight… until one of them is killed." Zabuza explained, enjoying the shocked looks on their faces. "These are friends who have helped each other and shared dreams."

"… Terrible…" Sakura said quietly, horrified.

"Ten years ago, the Hidden Mist graduation exam was forced to change." Kakashi said. "This change came after the previous year… when a devil appeared."

"Change?" Sakura asked nervously. "What change?"

"What did this devil do?" April asked guardedly.

"Without pause or hesitation… a young boy, who was not even a ninja… had killed over a hundred students." Kakashi explained gravely.

"That was fun." Zabuza's clone remarked nostalgically.

"!" The others gasped as they were hit by a wave of terrible bloodlust. Without hesitation, the clone shot towards April and trust his elbows at her torso. Fortunately, April managed to deflect the blow without taking any damage by moving him off of her line using one arm, keeping it relaxed but full of energy to avoid possibly getting broken. Unfortunately, his next strike came a lot faster, and he followed through with a kick as he turned with the momentum of his first attack.

"_!_!" Naruto yelled, horrified as she slammed into the ground, and the clone rammed his elbow into her gut before she had a chance to recover.

"Guh_!_!" April winced in pain as she coughed up blood.

"April-chan_!_!" Sakura screamed as Sasuke clenched his jaw.

"…" A vein throbbed on Kakashi's temple as he watched, trembling with rage.

"Die." The clone told April coldly with his foot planted on top of her as he reached for his sword. She glared up at him as she winced in pain, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out.

"_!_!_!_" Naruto gasped. 'Damn it_!_!_!_' He silently cursed as he formed a hand seal. 'Shadow Clone Jutsu_!_!'

"_!_!_!_" It was Zabuza's turn to be surprised. "Ah… shadow clones… and a large amount…" He remarked, glancing around to see that Naruto had him completely surrounded. April took advantage of this momentary distraction to grab Zabuza's leg with one hand and rabbit-punch his ankle with the other. "_!_!" It didn't take him down, but it surprised him enough to create an opening for her to roll out from under his heel. Time for her to make a strategic retreat! "You—_!_!"

"Here I come_!_!_!_" Naruto and his shadow clones yelled, launching themselves at him. As they rushed towards Zabuza's water clone, kunais drawn, and April slipped away, the water clone gripped the hilt of his sword.

"April, are you okay_!_!_?_" Sakura asked urgently as she rejoined them.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." April said, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. She'd had worse. "More importantly…" They all glanced back at the main event. For a brief moment, the water clone seemed to be trapped under the dog-pile of shadow clones, but then Zabuza's clone let out a mighty roar.

"Uraaah_!_!" He shouted, whipping Naruto's clones away with his sword in a fury of strikes.

'It's useless, he can't be beaten…_!_!' Tazuna thought, sweating nervously as he watched Naruto and his clones slide through the dirt, vanishing in poufs of smoke, until only the original was left.

"Don't worry, Tazuna-san." April said, almost as if she knew what he was thinking. "Naruto may act like a goofy kid most of the time, but once he makes up his mind, nothing can stop him!"

'This is the only way to defeat him_!_!_!_' Naruto thought, gritting his teeth, as he reached into his backpack. "Sasuke_!_!" He yelled, tossing his teammate a large, collapsible shuriken. Sasuke caught it with ease.

"_!_!" His eyes widened slightly with comprehension the moment his hand touched it. 'I see, so that's the plan. Good thinking, Naruto_!_!' Sasuke thought, though he never would have praised him so openly out loud. He spun around with the large shuriken in hand before thrusting it out in front of him to let it unfold. "Evil Wind Shuriken, Shadow Windmill_!_!"

"A shuriken won't work against me." Zabuza's clone said haughtily as Sasuke jumped and did a flip, throwing the weapon with all his might. "_!_!_!_" The clone gasped in surprise as the shuriken curved around him and kept going. "I see… You're aiming it at the real me, but…"

"That's not enough_!_!" Zabuza finished his clone's sentence as he used his free hand to catch the shuriken. "_!_!_!_" His eyes widened when he realized a second shuriken was coming at him. "Another one in the shuriken's shadow_!_?"

'That's the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu.' Kakashi thought.

'A second shuriken hiding in the blind spot…_!_?' Sakura thought, surprised. When did he…?

'As I suspected… They're going with _that_.' April thought, allowing herself a small smirk.

"_!_!" Kakashi said as the shuriken came within less than an inch from hitting its target.

"But_!_!" Zabuza said, jumping up to dodge it while still holding onto the water prison and other shuriken. 'Still not good enough.' He finished in his head, glaring at the brats in front of him.

'He dodged it_!_!' Sakura cried internally, flinching in shock. But the others weren't perturbed.

"Heh." Sasuke smirked. While Zabuza was still in the air, the shuriken he had just dodged vanished in a pouf, replaced by Naruto.

"_!_!" Tazuna gasped.

"Huh_!_?" Sakura exclaimed in surprise.

"!" Kakashi's eyes widened.

'Now_!_!_!_' Naruto thought, gripping his kunai tightly.

"_!_?" Zabuza said, surprised when he suddenly sensed someone behind him. As he turned his head to look, Naruto threw the kunai.

"Uraah_!_!"

Zabuza's eyes widened when he realized this attack couldn't be dodged so easily.

_SLICE._ SPLASH!

"_!_!" Zabuza's smooth brow scrunched up in anger as he had to pull his hand away from the water prison in order to be able to turn enough to avoid a lethal blow, and the kunai scraped past his cheek, drawing blood.

"!" Kakashi furrowed his brow as a vein throbbed on Zabuza's head. There was a dangerous, bloodthirsty look in the mist ninja's eye as he finished turning to face Naruto, wielding the first shuriken Sasuke had thrown at him.

"!" The others gasped in alarm when they realized Naruto, who was still falling towards the water, had no chance of dodging.

"Damn brat_!_!_!_" Zabuza snarled.

"_!_!_!_" Naruto exclaimed.


	16. Chapter15: Sharingan Resurrected

**Previously:**

_"!" Kakashi furrowed his brow as a vein throbbed on Zabuza's head. There was a dangerous, bloodthirsty look in the mist ninja's eye as he finished turning to face Naruto, wielding the first shuriken Sasuke had thrown at him._

_"!" The others gasped in alarm when they realized Naruto, who was still falling towards the water, had no chance of dodging._

_"Damn brat!" Zabuza snarled._

_"!_!_!" Naruto exclaimed._

* * *

**Chapter 15: Sharingan Resurrected**

* * *

_CLANG!_!

"_!_!_!_" Zabuza gasped when he saw who was blocking his way. Blood was running down from the cut on the back of Kakashi's hand from where the blade of the shuriken was digging into the back of the hand he had used to stop the attack, mingling with the water dripping off of him from the broken water prison. Kakashi lifted his head, glaring darkly at his enemy as Naruto landed in the water several feet away from them with a splash. Zabuza actually flinched at the dangerous ferocity in the leaf ninja's eyes.

"Kakashi, Sensei_!_!" Sakura cried out in relief.

"All right, Sensei_!_! Yeah_!_!_!_ Mission accomplished_!_!_!_" April cheered, punching a triumphant fist in the air, too excited and relieved to care that it hurt. "Way to go, Naruto_!_! That's my boy_!_!" She added proudly as her friend resurfaced, gasping for air. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, yeah, you too, Sasuke… Okay, I'm done now." She said, clearing her throat a little awkwardly as she quickly calmed down, getting serious again.

"… Naruto, great 'plan'." Kakashi said. "You guys have grown up."

"Hehe… The aim of the shadow clone jutsu wasn't to defeat Zabuza, but to hide the fact that I had transformed into the fuuma shuriken. I left one of my shadow clones so it could throw the shuriken me to Sasuke. Sasuke noticed that it was me right after he caught it. Then he took out his own shuriken and used the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu. Of course, I didn't think I could beat Zabuza with just that, but I thought if only we could break the water prison, things might turn around… Hnh. We were also able to get rid of the water clone, so it was a success!" Naruto explained with a grin. Zabuza had been so preoccupied with dodging and everything, that he had let the water clone collapse back into a puddle.

"Yeah, that's really great, Naruto… but let's not tell all of our techniques to the enemy, okay?" April said wryly, sweat-dropping. Everyone there had probably already used common sense to figure out what had happened anyway, but still, it was better to keep the enemy guessing as much as possible, right?

'But still, being able to pull off such great teamwork in a situation like this…' Sakura thought, impressed. She never would have thought the boys would be capable of something like this with how much they hated each other's guts, but April had seemed to known that it would end this way all along…

"Heh… I got distracted and released the jutsu…" Zabuza said.

"No. You didn't just release it… You were _forced_ to." Kakashi corrected him knowingly. A vein throbbed on Zabuza's temple. "I'll tell you that I don't fall for the same jutsu twice." Kakashi continued, still glaring at him. "What will you do?"

"Hmph!" Zabuza jumped back to put some distance between them. Kakashi did the same, mimicking his actions, as he closed his black eye and his Sharingan eye widened.

'So fast_!_!' April thought, amazed as she watched the jōnins create one hand seal after another, moving so fast that their hands were almost a complete blur in the mist.

'Water Dragon Jutsu_!_!' Zabuza and Kakashi thought as they formed the last hand seal, unleashing their attacks. The water around them shot up into two pillars, taking on the shape of dragons. The two water dragons swirled and crashed into each other canceling themselves out.

"_!_!" The others cried out in alarm, bracing themselves, as the resulting wave crashed against the shore.

'That many seals, and in seconds… Plus, he copied them all perfectly_!_!' Sasuke thought as furrowed his brow, impressed, as a spray of water began to rain down on them.

'What? Is that ninjutsu?' Sakura wondered, staring in awe as the explosion of water from the two dragons began to settle again.

'This world really is full of endless possibilities…' April thought with a grin. 'But I wish Naruto would get out of the water already.' She thought, sweat-dropping. 'He's making me nervous_!_!'

"_!_!_!_" Naruto gasped. Amid the chaos of the dissipating attack, Kakashi was blocking Zabuza's huge zanbatō with just a kunai!

'Strange… What's going on?' Zabuza wondered. 'He…' Both jōnin jumped back simultaneously, and Zabuza immediately ran counterclockwise to close the gap and attack from the side, the moment he moved, Kakashi did the same, maintaining the set distance between them without giving an inch. Both jōnin suddenly stopped and formed a seal with each hand, holding one close to their chests, while raising the other over their heads. "_!_!_!_" Zabuza gasped and a vein pulsed on his forehead. 'My movements… He's completely…'

"Reading them." Kakashi finished out loud.

"_!_!_!_" Zabuza flinched in shock. 'What? Did he read my mind?' He wondered, staring at Kakashi's crimson Sharingan. 'Damn_!_!' He formed another hand seal. 'That…'

"… Freaky eye is really pissing me off_!_! Right?" Kakashi said, once again finishing his thoughts for him as he copied the hand seal.

"_!_!_!_"

'Amazing… It looks like Sensei's using what we've learned about his personality in such a short time to psych him out…' April thought, impressed.

"Heh. All you're doing is copying me." Zabuza sneered as the vein on his forehead threatened to pop.

"You can't beat me, you monkey bastard_!_!_!_" He and Kakashi yelled at the same time.

"_!_!_!_" Zabuza's eyes widened as he flinched again, gritting his teeth in anger.

"!" April said, surprised. Not only were the phrases getting more complicated and specific, but the timing on that last one… rather than psychology, could it be Kakashi-sensei was…?

"Damn you_!_! I'll make it so… you can never open that mouth again_!_!" Zabuza shouted furiously as he began forming more hand seals. "_!_!_!_" He gasped, suddenly freezing when he saw a shadow forming in the mist behind Kakashi. 'That… That is… me? That's… not possible_!_!' He thought when the image became clearer. 'Is this one of his genjutsu?' While Zabuza was distracted, he quickly formed more hand seals.

'Water Explosion Jutsu_!_!' Kakashi thought. The three black tomoe in his Sharingan began spinning around his pupil like pinwheel.

"What_!_? Impossible_!_!" Zabuza shouted incredulously as the huge vortex of water created by Kakashi's Water Explosion Jutsu came crashing towards him and swallowed him up. 'I'm the one doing the jutsu… yet I can't keep up_!_!_!_'

"_!_!_!_" April gapsed. The wave coming off of the side of this attack was even bigger than the last one!

"Gu_!_!" Sasuke grit his teeth and raised his arms to shield himself as the water crashed into them.

"Whoa_!_!" Tazuna exclaimed as he was almost knocked over, but Sakura and April managed to give him enough support to keep him steady.

"Ugh_!_!" Zabuza grunted as his body slammed into a tree. "Gu_!_!_!_" Before he could react, several kunai had already been thrown into his arms and legs, pinning him to it.

"It's over." Kakashi told him, perched on one of the branches about.

"How…?" Zabuza asked as the torrent of water receded. "Can you see the future?"

"Yeah…" Kakashi said, gripping another kunai in his hand. "You're going to die."

_SWISHH!_

"_!_!_!_" Zabuza's eyes widened, and he grunted in pain as two thick needles suddenly pierced his neck.

"_!_!" Kakashi and the others gasped. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced in the direction the needles had come from. Zabuza's body when limp and collapsed to the ground as the masked boy in the tree across from him let out a soft laugh. Kakashi noticed the Hidden Mist's symbol was carved into the forehead of the mask.

"Hehe… You're right. He's dead." The boy said.

'This guy…_!_! I had no idea he was there until he threw the needles!' April thought warily. 'How long as he been watching us…?'

"!" Naruto grit his teeth as he finally climbed back out of the water. Kakashi jumped out of the tree and landed beside Zabuza's body. He reached out and felt for a pulse on the neck.

"…" Kakashi waited, but there was nothing. '… He really is dead…' He thought, glancing guardedly at the boy in the mask.

"Thank you very much." The boy said politely with a bow. "I have been searching for the opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time."

"That mask… you're a Hidden Mist hunter-nin." Kakashi said.

"… Impressive." The boy said. "You are correct."

"Hunter-nin?" Naruto asked dubiously as he rushed over to stand with his fellow genin and Tazuna.

"Yes. My duty is to hunt down missing-nins. I'm a member of the Hidden Mist's hunter-nin team." The masked boy explained.

'From his voice and height, he's probably not much older than Naruto… around April's age. Yet he's a hunter-nin…' Kakashi thought. 'He's not a normal kid…' Naruto ran forward and glanced between the masked boy and Zabuza's body.

"?" The boy said when Naruto looked back up at him with a glare.

"What the hell_!_!_?_ Who are you_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded incredulously, pointing up at the hunter-nin.

"!" The others said, surprised by his outburst. April let out a sigh. She had a feeling with would happen the moment they realized Zabuza had been taken out by a stranger.

"Don't worry, Naruto." Kakashi said as he stood up. "He's not an enemy."

"I'm not asking that_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted. "That Zabuza… That Zabuza was killed_!_! A guy that strong… A guy that strong was killed by a kid…_!_! By a kid not that much different from me_!_! We look stupid_!_! How can I accept something like that_!_!_?_"

'Well, I'm pretty sure we wore him down for him…' April thought, though she understood how Naruto felt. It was frustrating to have someone else come in and steal the show after how hard they had fought…

"Well, I know how you feel…" Kakashi said as he walked over to Naruto. "But this is the truth." He placed a hand on top of Naruto's head. "In this world, there exists kids younger than you… yet stronger than me." He stated seriously.

"…" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow.

'Fantastic.' April thought, deadpanning. Well, that was actually one of the least surprising things she had learned so far. Even in her original world, there were some children who were capable of defeating adults.

"…" Naruto grimaced as he looked away. He still didn't want to accept it... In a whirl of leaves and wind, the masked boy moved from the branch he was standing on the ground beside Zabuza's body.

"Your battle is now over…" The hunter-nin said. "And now, I must dispose of this body. Since it seems to be a body with many secrets… Farwell." And with that, the masked boy disappeared with Zabuza's body in another whirl of wind and leaves.

"He disappeared_!_!" Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi let out a sigh as he moved his forehead protector to cover his Sharingan again.

"Now, we have to get Tazuna-san back to his home. Let's go_!_!" He told his students.

"Hahaha_!_!_!_ Super thanks, guys_!_!" Tazuna laughed, super relieved that everything had turned out all right in the end. "Come over to my house and relax for a while_!_!"

'Sounds good to me.' April thought, tired from the fight and all the tension. "Hey, Sensei, I have a—Kakashi-sensei_!_!_?_' She cried out in alarm as he started to fall.

"Huh_!_!_?_ What's wrong_!_!_?_" Sakura asked, wondering why their teacher had suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"Ka-Kashi-sensei_!_!" Naruto yelled, concerned.

'My body… won't move. I used the Sharingan… too much…' Kakashi thought, a little embarrassed, as he passed out.

"Don't worry. I think it's just exhaustion." April said as she knelt down to check on him. She removed took out some bandages and wrapped the cut on his hand. "How far away is your house, Tazuna-san?" She asked, taking charge of the situation.

"Uh… about twenty yards, I think..." Tazuna said, taking a moment to think it over.

"All right. Sasuke, you take point, follow Tazuna-san's directions. Sakura and Naruto, I want you to guard from the sides. I'll follow from behind with Sensei." April instructed them, carefully but quickly hoisting Kakashi up and over her shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Let's go_!_!" She said with a determined gleam in her eye.

'This girl… is super manly.' Tazuna thought as he and Sakura sweat-dropped. Personally, Naruto thought it was cool.

"Hey, should you be carrying him like that with your wound?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"I'll be fine." April said reassuringly. "When Zabuza kicked me, I focused my chakra in my torso to protect my organs. That blood I coughed up was from when I accidentally bit the tip of my tongue as I hit the ground… Sorry if it freaked you out." She apologized a bit sheepishly. There would probably be some bruising, but nothing too serious. The others all sweat-dropped. So they had been worried about her this whole time for nothing? Suddenly, they were perfectly okay with the idea of making her carry 67.5 kg of dead weight the rest of the way.


	17. Chapter16: Preparations for Battle

**Previously:**

_"All right. Sasuke, you take point, follow Tazuna-san's directions. Sakura and Naruto, I want you to guard from the sides. I'll follow from behind with Sensei." April instructed them, carefully but quickly hoisting Kakashi up and over her shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Let's go!_!_" She said with a determined gleam in her eye._

_'This girl… is super manly.' Tazuna thought as he and Sakura sweat-dropped. Personally, Naruto thought it was cool._

_"Hey, should you be carrying him like that with your wound?" Sasuke asked skeptically._

_"I'll be fine." April said reassuringly. "When Zabuza kicked me, I focused my chakra in my torso to protect my organs. That blood I coughed up was from when I accidentally bit the tip of my tongue as I hit the ground… Sorry if it freaked you out." She apologized a bit sheepishly. There would probably be some bruising, but nothing too serious. The others all sweat-dropped. So they had been worried about her this whole time for nothing? Suddenly, they were perfectly okay with the idea of making her carry 67.5 kg of dead weight the rest of the way._

* * *

**Chapter 16: Preparation For Battle**

* * *

It turned out Tazuna-san had some pretty sweet digs. His house was right on the waterfront and next to a nifty little windmill.

"Are you all right, Sensei?" Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami-san asked as she stared down at the jōnin they had tucked into one of the guest futons. She had been really surprised when her dad had returned home with four kids and an unconscious adult in tow. She had already given the guys a lecture for letting April carry a grown man the whole way on her own. The girl looked positively exhausted! In fact, she had sprawled herself out haplessly on the floor the moment their sensei opened his eye again, and she felt safe enough to relax, like a lazy cat that couldn't be bothered to move another centimeter.

"Yeah… I just can't move for a week or so." Kakashi answered a bit sheepishly, embarrassed to have everyone making such a fuss over him. He had woken up in the middle of the lecture, so he already knew pretty much everything that had happened while he was out. April really was something else…

'A whole week_!_?' April thought, flinching in shock in her spot on the floor. And she had thought being useless for a whole day whenever she tried to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu was bad…

"What?" Sakura said in disbelief. "The Sharingan is incredible, but… if it puts that much stress on the body, I guess you have to think before using it."

"Well, we defeated that strong of a ninja this time. We should be safe for a while_!_!" Tazuna said, laughing it off. He was just glad to have been able to make it back home in one piece!

"By the way, who was that masked kid?" Sakura asked.

"That was the mask worn by Hidden Mist's special Hunter-nin team." Kakashi replied. "They are also known as body erasers. Their duty is to completely dispose of the body without a trace. A ninja's body holds within it secrets of the ninjutsu, different chakra types, herbs, and other things that would reveal information about their village. For example, if I died, the secrets of the Sharingan could be revealed. If you aren't careful, there's a danger that the enemy will steal your jutsu. A ninja's body can reveal important information. So, by killing and disposing of the missing-nins who have abandoned their village, the hunter-nins protect the information from getting out. They are specialists who guard the secrets of their village." He explained. "No sound, no smell… That is a ninja's end."

"So that Zabuza has been chopped up and disposed of? Scary_!_!" Sakura said with a shiver.

"…" April frowned slightly as she stared up at the ceiling.

'What is this? Zabuza is dead, yet it feels like I'm missing something important…' Kakashi thought as his eyes began to close, about to drift off to sleep again, when April spoke.

"Hmm… Somehow, it doesn't feel like it's over… I almost wish we had seen the body being disposed of…" She thought out loud. Maybe then, they'd have gotten some kind of closure. Kakashi suddenly opened his eye again and shot up into a sitting position, surprising them.

'She's right_!_!' He thought. His eye widened in realization. That was it… They hadn't seen the body being disposed of!

"What's wrong, Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Did I say something weird?" April asked, blinking.

"Well…" Kakashi said, holding a hand to his head. "… body erasing teams usually dispose of the body of the person they killed right there." He explained.

"!" April gasped as her eyes widened in realization, and she also shot up. 'Eh? Wait, then… isn't that bad_!_?' She thought, alarmed.

"Huh? So what?" Sakura asked, wondering why April suddenly looked so freaked out about something so minor.

"Don't you see?" Kakashi asked her and the guys. "How did that masked boy dispose of Zabuza's body?"

"Ha? How could we know?" Sakura retorted with a shrug. "That masked guy took the body with him."

"Yeah… if he needed proof of his work, he could have just taken the head." Kakashi said.

"And the weapon that he used to kill Zabuza…" April added, holding her chin, as she furrowed her brow.

"…" Sasuke also furrowed his brow slightly as he thought it over. 'It was just a couple senbon needles…' "_!_!" Sasuke gasped as he realized what they were getting at. His eyes widened. "… No way…" He said, suddenly understanding why April had freaked out.

"Yeah… exactly." Kakashi said, running a hand through his hair.

"?" Sakura and Naruto said, still not getting it.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tazuna asked. The serious expressions on their faces were starting to make him nervous.

"Most likely… Zabuza is alive!" Kakashi stated grimly. Tazuna, Naruto, and Sakura all gaped at him as their jaws dropped, completely gobsmacked. Beads of cold sweat formed on their brows as they continued staring at him, frozen in shock.

"?" Tsunami said, wondering why they were all so freaked out. They hadn't gotten around to explaining just how dangerous the mist ninja was to her yet.

"What the hell do you mean_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded incredulously.

"Kakashi-sensei, you checked and said he was dead_!_!_!_" Sakura reminded him, clenching her fist.

"Yeah, I did… but that was most likely… just a momentary death. The needle weapon that hunter-nin used… unless it hits a vital organ, has a low probability of killing an opponent. It's an item that's even used by doctors in acupuncture therapy. Hunter-nins have a thorough knowledge of the human body's structure. Putting a person in a momentary death state is probably easy for them." Kakashi explained. April nodded in agreement. Something like that was possible even in her world. "First, he went through the trouble of carrying away the body of the much heavier Zabuza. Second, he used a weapon with a low probability of killing. These two points indicate that his motive was… not to kill Zabuza, but to save him. We can't ignore that possibility."

"Aren't you thinking too much?" Tazuna asked. "Hunter-nins are supposed to kill missing-nins."

'That's assuming that boy wasn't a missing-nin, too. The two of them are probably working together. He didn't attack Zabuza until Kakashi-sensei was about to kill him. We assumed he was a hunter-nin because of his mask, but they could have taken it from one they defeated before.' April thought, furrowing her brow.

"No… with all the suspicion… we will prepare before it's too late." Kakashi said thoughtfully. "That's a shinobi rule."

"Plus, whether Zabuza is alive or dead, we have no guarantee that Gatō won't hire an even stronger shinobi." April added, causing Sakura to sweat-drop. She really didn't want to think about that possibility…

"!" Kakashi noticed Naruto was actually shaking with excitement. 'Heh, he's actually happy that Zabuza might be alive…'

'Bless his heart…' April thought, smiling fondly at her weird little friend. It would be better for their mission if Zabuza really was dead, but she could understand his desire for a rematch.

"Sensei, what do you mean by preparing before it's too late?" Sakura asked. "You can barely move." Kakashi laughed.

'Uh-oh. That's the same look in his eye as when he told us about the survival test…' April thought warily.

"You guys will receive training." He stated seriously.

"Huh? Training?" Sakura said, surprised. "What's a little training going to do_!_!_?_ Our enemy is a ninja you struggled against even with the Sharingan_!_!" She reminded him anxiously. 'Cha_!_! Are you trying to get us killed_!_?' Inner Sakura shouted incredulously.

"Sakura…" Kakashi said calmly. "Who saved me while I was struggling? You guys are growing rapidly. Especially Naruto_!_!" He added with a smile, surprising the boy. "You've improved the most."

"Isn't that great? You got praised!" April said with a proud smile, giving the grinning Naruto a pat on the back. Her little boy was all gown up and kicking butt!

'Well, he does seem better than he used to be, but…' Sakura thought, blushing slightly as she eyed Naruto dubiously.

"But, obviously, this training is just until I get better." Kakashi said. "You won't be able to defeat him without me."

"But, Sensei, if Zabuza's alive… then couldn't he attack at any time?" April asked.

"About that…" Kakashi said. "A person put in a momentary death situation… should take a while before their body returns to normal."

"So we train until then_!_! Sounds like a lot of fun_!_!" Naruto said excitedly.

"That's not fun." A little boy said bluntly, butting into their conversation.

'Is is just me… or does this kid look kind of like L from _Death Note_?' April thought, raising an eyebrow as they turned to look at him.

"Who the hell are you_!_!_?_" Nartuo demanded indignantly.

"Ohh_!_!_!_ Inari_!_!" Tazuna said excitedly, looking ecstatic to see the little boy. "Where were you_!_!_?_"

"Welcome back, Grandpa…" Inari said, walking over to hug the old man.

"Inari, say hello to these people." Tsunami chided her son. "They're the ninjas who protected grandpa."

"It's okay, right, Inari?" Tazuna said affectionately, patting his grandson on the head. Inari stared at the four genin and their teacher.

"Mom… They're going to die." Inari stated rather bluntly.

"_!_!" Sakura and Naruto flinched in shock.

"Haha… Your grandson is just like you, Tazuna-san." April stated with a flat laugh.

"Hehe, right? He's super cute, isn't he?" Tazuna said proudly.

'No, I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment…' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping. Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"What did you say, you little brat_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted incredulously, ready to kick the kid's ass.

"There's no way you can win against Gatō…" Inari said grimly.

"…" Tazuna and Kakashi said as they stared at the boy.

"You brat_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled angrily, rolling up his sleeve. "I'll…_!_!_!_"

"Why are you getting pissed at a child? Idiot_!_!" Sakura snapped while April held him back.

"Hey, Inari_!_! Listen_!_!" Naruto said, ignoring the girls' attempts to calm him down. "I'm a super hero who will one day become an incredible ninja called Hokage_!_!_!_ I don't know this Gatō guy, but he's nothing against me_!_!" He declared boldly.

"Pft… What are you stupid?" Inari asked condescendingly. "There's no such thing as a hero_!_!"

"_What!_!_?_" Naruto exclaimed incredulously with a vein throbbing on his temple.

"Stop it_!_!" Sakura yelled, giving him a solid whack on the head. April sweat-dropped. She thought that was a bit much…

'Well, I guess it's better than letting Naruto loose on the kid. It's true that he's acting like a brat, but I get the feeling the situation's a little more complicated than that…' April thought. His expression reminded her of when kids who used to be ecstatic about Santa coming for Christmas finally learn he isn't real. Often the ones who went around ruining the magic for everyone else were the ones who had really wanted to believe in the jolly old elf's existence the most.

"If you don't want to die, you should leave…" Inari said grimly as he turned away.

"…" April frowned and furrowed her brow slightly at that. She didn't like the look in his eyes… Why was this kid so convinced they would die? You would think he'd want them to win, since they were protecting his grandpa.

"Where are you going, Inari?" Tazuna asked.

"To look at the ocean from my room." Inari answered curtly as he slid the door open and left.

"Sorry…" Tazuna apologized on behalf of his grandson. Naruto was gritting his teeth in annoyance and frustration.

"… Is he all right?" April asked. Something must have happened to make him that way. Inari was too young to be that jaded.

"Eh? Oh, yes. Don't worry about it!" Tazuna told her, though his smile seemed a little tense, like he was forcing himself.

"…" Kakashi said, quietly watching the whole exchange. It would seem something _had_ happened…

"Dammit_!_! Where's that little piece of shit_!_!" Naruto fumed as he climbed the stairs in search of Inari to tell him off. "He needs to learn a lesson…" He stopped when he reached the first room on the second floor, about to open the door when he realized he could hear someone crying inside. "_!_!" Naruto said, taken aback. He peaked in through the crack and saw that Inari was clutching an old photograph as thick tears streamed down his face.

"Uu… Uu… Dad… Uu…" Inari sobbed painfully. Naruto's anger immediately left him. He turned and left without saying a word. There was no way he could bring himself to yell at the kid while he was like that.

—∞—

"Ok, we will now start the training." Kakashi said the next morning once they had all had a chance to rest, leaning on his crutches for support.

"Hell yeah_!_!" Naruto cheered excitedly while April rolled her neck and rubbed her shoulders. She was still feeling a little sore, but she was looking forward to it as well.

"But before that," Kakashi continued, "let's have a review about the base for all shinobi abilities, chakra."

"Umm… Umm… What's chakra?" Naruto asked with a look of complete incomprehension on his face. He was pretty sure he remembered hearing about that somewhere before, but…

"…" April sweat-dropped as they all stared at him while Kakashi dropped his head with a sigh.

"You're a ninja, and you don't know that_!_!_?_" Sakura shouted incredulously. "What did you learn in school_!_!_?_"

"Hehe… I used to sleep during the hard classes…" Naruto admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

'This is bad…' Kakashi thought, concerned by his lack of understanding of such a basic concept. If he thought this was difficult, then…

"Naruto…" April said with a slight frown. "How many times have I told you not to do that? You especially need to pay attention to things you think are difficult, because they're harder to learn on your own. If you're going to sleep, do it during the easy classes!" She lectured him. Even the people in her world couldn't normally use it, they still at least had a basic understanding of the concept of chakra as spiritual energy.

"No, you shouldn't be sleeping at all_._" Kakashi corrected her with a straight face. "Fine, Sakura-kun." He said, gesturing for the young kunoichi to explain.

"Listen, Naruto_!_!" Sakura said firmly, stepping up the plate without batting an eyelash. "I'm going to explain it simply. Somehow try to remember it with that slow brain of yours_!_!_!_ Chakra is the energy a shinobi needs when performing a justu. That energy has two parts: the physical energy that is present in every cell of the body, and the spiritual energy gained through training and experience. These two parts are combined. In other words, the energy to use jutsus comes from these to energies that are squeezed out of the body and molded together… This process is known as molding the chakra. And with this chakra, you can execute a technique by forming a seal with your hands." She explained easily.

"Exactly." Kakashi said with approval. "Iruka-sensei was blessed with a nice, student, I see."

"Heh." Sakura said proudly with a smile, placing her hands on her hips.

"Hmm…" Naruto said, frowning as he furrowed his brow and tilted his head to the side. He still didn't get it. "I didn't understand that complicated explanation…" He said, glancing at April, who let out a sigh. Personally, she thought Sakura had done a pretty good job keeping it simple, but she had been prepared for this.

"Then try thinking of the energies as soft-serve ice cream." April told him. "The physical energy is chocolate, and the spiritual energy is vanilla. Both are good by themselves, but if you put mix them together in equal parts, then you get a chocolate-vanilla swirl, which has the best of both. It's like that."

"April, I don't think…" Kakashi started to say, worried a metaphor might confuse him more, but he was instantly proved wrong.

"Oh!" Naruto said, lighting up with comprehension, as he hit his hand against his palm. "So, in order to make chakra, I'm just mixing the physical and spiritual energy together and squeezing it out like soft-serve ice cream? Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" He asked Sakura, causing her twitch in annoyance as a vein throbbed on her forehead. She _did _say that_!_!

'She understands him really well…' Kakashi thought, glancing between April and Naruto. Maybe next time he should just have her explain from the beginning…

"And when you put it like that, isn't that something you can just learn with your body? Aren't we already doing that?" Naruto pointed out.

"Naruto is right." Sasuke agreed boredly. "We can already use jutsu."

"Nope!" Kakashi said bluntly before they could get ahead of themselves. "You guys are not using chakra properly."

"!" Sakura and April said, surprised.

"What_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted incredulously.

"Well, listen… as Sakura and April said earlier, to release chakra means to bring out spiritual and physical energy and mix them together within your body. And based on what justu you use, the type and amount of chakra that is released will be different." Kakashi explained calmly. "You guys are not using chakra effectively yet. Even if you are able to release a high amount of chakra, unless you control it properly, the jutsu will be weakened or not work at all. And by wasting energy, you won't be able to fight as long. These kind of weaknesses will appear." April furrowed her brow slightly. She recognized that weakness in her own jutsus… Hopefully this training would help her correct it.

"So… What should we do?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Learn how to control it." Kakashi stated simply. "Through very tough training."

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked a little nervously.

"Hmm…?" Kakashi said, holding up a finger. "Tree climbing_!_!" His students blinked as they started up at him.

_"Tree climbing!_?"


	18. Chapter17: Training Commences

**Previously:**

_"So… What should we do?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his neck._

_"Learn how to control it." Kakashi stated simply. "Through very tough training."_

_"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked a little nervously._

_"Hmm…?" Kakashi said, holding up a finger. "Tree climbing!_!"_ His students blinked as they started up at him._

_"Tree climbing!_?"

* * *

**Chapter 17: Training Commences**

* * *

"Yeah…" Kakashi said, taking note of the openly skeptical expressions on most of their faces.

'Sounds kind of fun, actually…' April thought, figuring there was probably more to it than that. Now they knew why he had brought them into the middle of the forest.

'Sounds boring…' Naruto thought disappointedly, taking what their teacher had just said at face value.

"What kind of training is that?" Sakura asked dubiously.

"Well, listen until the end." Kakashi said patiently. "This isn't normal tree climbing. You'll climb without using your hands."

"!" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow slightly.

'And there it is…' April thought with a wry smile.

'Sounds fun_!_!' Naruto thought, suddenly a lot more motivated to begin.

"H-How…?" Sakura asked with a frown.

"Well… watch." Kakashi said, leaning on his crutches as he formed a hand seal to him focus while he molded his chakra. Once he had it where he wanted it, he gripped the crutches again and started hobbling towards the closest tree. He placed one foot flat on the base of its trunk.

"_!_!" The four genin gasped in astonishment as they watched him continue forward, swinging his crutches up with his next step as he left the ground and slowly made his way up the tree.

"He's climbing…" Naruto said as they all continued to watch Kakashi move higher and higher, stunned.

"Vertically… with just his legs…" Sakura added.

"… On crutches…" April finished with awe. Way to _really_ stick it to gravity! She could run up walls and stuff using momentum, but this was on a whole different level of awesome! Kakashi-sensei was a boss!

"…" Sasuke said.

"You understand now?" Kakashi asked them as he stopped, standing so that he looked like he was hanging upside down from a thick branch like a bat while he leaned on his crutches for support. "Gather your chakra in the bottom of your feet and make it stick to the tree trunk. This is something you can do once you can use chakra well." He said with a smile.

"Cool." April said with a grin, eager to get started.

"Wait a minute_!_!" Sakura said. "How is learning how to climb a tree going to make us stronger_!_!_?"_

"Here's the main part. Listen closely. The purpose of this training is… First, to accumulate the right amount of molded chakra in the right location." Kakashi explained. "As I said earlier, this is the most important aspect when using a jutsu. This can be difficult even for a skilled ninja. The amount of chakra needed to climb a tree is small, but it must be exact. And it is said that the bottom of the foot is the most difficult area to gather chakra."

"So, basically… if we can learn this level of control, then we should be able to master any jutsu?" April asked.

"Well, theoretically…" Kakashi answered, glad to see she was catching on so quickly. April was probably the one who needed this training the most. She and Naruto were both starting to tremble with excitement. "The second thing is for you to develop the stamina needed to control chakra properly." He continued. "Depending on the jutsu, controlling your chakra properly… can be very difficult. And a ninja will usually be gathering and molding his chakra during battle, while constantly moving. Those types of situations make controlling chakra even more difficult."

'I see… and this exercise requires us to keep moving while molding our chakra, or else we'll fall…' April mused. It was perfect for what they needed to learn.

"Well, me talking all day isn't going to accomplish anything…" Kakashi concluded as he reached into his pocket with one hand, removing four kunai. "This is something you'll have to learn with your bodies." He threw the kunai.

"!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke gasped as one landed in front of each of them. April caught hers.

"Use those kunais to mark how high up the tree you make it." Kakashi instructed them. Then use that mark as your goal and try to surpass it. You guys won't be good enough to walk up the tree at first, so get some momentum and try running up the tree. Got it?"

"This training is nothing to me_!_! I could do this before breakfast_!_!" Naruto said with a grin as he and the others pulled their kunais out of the ground. "Because I'm the most improved_!_!"

"Okay, stop bragging…" Kakashi told him with a straight face. "Pick a tree and hurry up and try to climb it." Naruto made a face, but quickly joined the others as they formed a hand seal and focused on molding their chakra and concentrating it in the bottom of their feet.

"Here I go_!_!_!_" He shouted as he, Sasuke, and Sakura all took off running for a tree. Naruto placed his foot on the trunk of his tree and swung the other up to take the next step, but before he could even finish, he was already sliding down. "Ouch!" He cried out in surprise as he landed flat on his back, while Sasuke kept going, getting almost halfway up his tree before faltering.

"Ugh!" He grit his teeth as his chakra splintered the wood beneath his foot and quickly marked his place with the kunai as he fell back and did a flip, landing smoothly on the ground below. 'I didn't think it would be this hard… Too much chakra, and the wood cracks and you get repelled. But too little, and you don't stick at all, and that happens…' He thought, furrowing his brow as he glanced from his tree to Naruto's, watching as the idiot rolled around on the ground while groaning in frustration and holding his sore head.

'Well, that's about the difference between those two…' Kakashi thought as he watched his students.

"!" Kakashi and Sasuke said as April suddenly shot forward, heading straight for the tree in between the boys'. She had needed a little more time to accumulate her chakra, but once she had it, she was off like a rocket, approaching her tree with a velocity that allowed her to pass up the height Sasuke had reached by three strides before she had to mark her place and do a flip to land on her feet as she fell back to the ground.

"…" Naruto stopped rolling around as he and Sasuke stared at her. _Seriously?_

'It took her awhile to get started, but she got a lot further than I expected…' Kakashi observed.

"No way! How did you do that_!_?" Naruto demanded of her while Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Even though you're slow, you're almost to the top_!_!"

"Yeah, but… unfortunately, it's not good enough…" April said dismissively with a sigh. "I was only able to get that far because of my momentum." She admitted a bit sheepishly, a little chagrined. "See?" She tried to go up again more slowly, proving her point when she failed to get any further than two proper steps before sliding back down. Kakashi sweat-dropped as he watched. Without her speed, she would be on the same level as Naruto. She may be winning the race to climb, but as far as the true purpose of this exercise went… April was definitely losing.

"This is pretty easy_!_!" Sakura said brightly, getting their attention.

"!" Her fellow genin said, surprised when they looked over and saw how high she had gotten. Sakura was already sitting on of the top branches of her tree.

"Ehe!" She giggled happily, proud that she had finally managed to come in first for something.

"Sakura-chan_!_!" Naruto gasped.

"Wow…" April said, impressed.

"It looks like the one who's best at controlling chakra right now… is Sakura." Kakashi remarked.

"Wow_!_!_!_ You're great, Sakura_!_!_! _That's the girl I put my confidence in_!_!_!_" Naruto cheered loudly, doing his best to sound happy for her, even though it pissed him off a bit.

"Yeah, way to go!" April added with a smile. At least one of them was getting it. Sasuke was totally silent as he glared at the ground in front of him in annoyance.

'I wanted Sasuke-kun to be impressed… Why does it always turn out like this?' Sakura wondered dejectedly, hanging her head in disappointment. She wanted _him_ to compliment her, not Naruto…!

"Wow, not only does she know a lot about chakra, but her control and stamina are quite good." Kakashi said with a brilliant shit-eating grin. April pouted slightly, starting to feel a little jealous. "As of right now… Sakura is the closest to becoming Hokage, unlike a certain someone…" He added, causing Naruto to flinch. "The Uchiha clan isn't as great as I though, either." Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a sharp glare.

'Whoa, those are fighting words…' April thought, sweat-dropping, as she watched Naruto and Sasuke exchange a disgruntled glance with each other. Kakashi-sensei was clearly trying to provoke them… and it was obviously working.

"Shut up, Sensei_!_!_!_" Sakura snapped. 'Sasuke-kun's going to hate me_!_!' She thought worriedly.

'Of course, Naruto and Sasuke have an incredible amount of chakra hidden within them that Sakura can't match. If this training goes well, they could be powerful assets…' Kakashi added silently as he watched them. 'As for April…' He shifted his stance and hobbled back down. "Come with me. I need to have a word with you." He told her as he stepped back onto the ground. "You three, keep practicing." He instructed the others as he headed further into the woods.

"?" April raised an eyebrow, feeling a little apprehensive about suddenly being called out like that, but she obediently followed after him.

'Okay_!_! I'm going to catch up to Sasuke first_!_!_!_' Naruto decided, clenching his fists.

"Okay, this should be far enough." Kakashi said, stopping once they were out of earshot of the others. "Hey, you don't have to look so nervous." He told April when he turned back to face her and saw the look of apprehension on her face. "I just wanted to talk to you about something I noticed during the fight yesterday. There's something strange about your chakra flow."

"My chakra flow?" She asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion.

"Yes. Up until now, everyone has been assuming that you're only capable of producing a low level of chakra, because it feels like you're only releasing the bare minimum… However, normally someone with such a low level of chakra would never be able to perform a technique as complex as the shadow clone jutsu. Chakra is normally invisible to the human eye, but watching you fight the other day while using my Sharingan, I was able to see what was really happening with your chakra… You see, it isn't that you can't produce a lot, it's just that for some reason… you can't maintain a steady level. I don't quite understand how it's possible, since I've never seen anything like this before… but it seems the reason for this is that your body is somehow reabsorbing whatever chakra you mold at an alarming rate. The reason why you're so easily exhausted when it comes to using jutsus isn't because you can only produce a small amount of chakra at a time, it's because you always have to produce an abnormally large amount in order to compensate for this. It only seems as though you aren't, because normally excess the excess chakra would leak out through your pores, but in your case, there's nothing left to leak, so it appears as though you're only producing a small amount, because that's all anyone can sense being used." He explained seriously. Her own body was nullifying whatever chakra she tried to produce and accumulate almost as fast as she could make it. Normally, one would assume she was under the influence of some kind of cursed seal, but the medical team that had examined her when she first came to the village would have already found it if that were the case. As it stood, there was no discernable cause for this strange phenomenon. Frankly, it was a miracle she could perform any at all. Becoming a shinobi would have been impossible for her if she didn't already have such a precise level of control…

"!" April said as her eyes widened in surprise. "You mean, the problem isn't that I can't produce or control my chakra… but that it's somehow automatically being canceled out inside of me?" She asked, frowning as she furrowed her brow. She had felt from the start that producing chakra was really difficult for her, but to think it was something like this… "People in my world normally can't use chakra… maybe this is the reason why? Unlike the people of this world, we must have somehow ended up evolving in a way that makes it difficult for our bodies to conduct the energy needed to produce chakra... like a battery that can't hold a charge…"

"Well, that makes about as much sense as anything else, I suppose…" Kakashi said, watching her carefully to gauge her reaction. "But if that's the case, then how are you able to use it? From what I've heard, you only started being able to perform jutsus after coming to this world."

"Well, it's probably thanks to my JDK instructor teaching me about qigong." April said thoughtfully. "Oh, qigong is an ancient Chinese health care system that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention." She added as a quick explanation, in case he didn't know what she was talking about. The word Qigong (Chi Kung) is made up of two Chinese words. Qi is pronounced chee and is usually translated to mean the life force or vital-energy that flows through all things in the universe. The second word, Gong, pronounced gung, means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, Qigong (Chi Kung) means cultivating energy, it is a system practiced for health maintenance, healing and increasing vitality. "Qigong practices can be classified as martial, medical, or spiritual. All styles have three things in common: they all involve a posture (whether moving or stationary), breathing techniques, and mental focus. Some practices increase the Qi or 'life energy'; others circulate it, use it to cleanse and heal the body, store it, or emit Qi to help heal others. My teacher focused mainly on teaching me the martial and spiritual aspects of it, because he felt healing should be left to the professionals, since performing the medical techniques can do more harm than good if executed improperly. We focused mainly on the practices of the soft internal styles, like Tai Chi; and the external, vigorous styles such as Kung Fu, which would probably be considered types of taijutsus in this world."

"I see…" He said thoughtfully. That did indeed sound very similar to the way ninjas used chakra. She must have simply used what she already knew about focusing her own spiritual and physical energy and applied it to what she learned about chakra in this world. That would certainly explain how she was able to adapt so quickly. She already had some training in that area, it just hadn't been applied actively towards the use of ninjutsu or genjutsu yet. "You must have had an excellent teacher."

"Yeah…" She agreed with a soft smile. "He was like a second father to me. He's the one who taught me about proper nutrition and how take care of myself... after I started living with my uncle."

"I'm glad you had such a good teacher." Kakashi said gently, placing a hand on her head. "It saves me a lot of trouble." He added with a smile.

"That doesn't mean you can start slacking off on me now, Sensei." April quipped with a rueful smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Kakashi replied. "After all, you're going to need to train at least three times as hard as the others to overcome that handicap of yours. Just be careful not to overdo it, or you could end up dying." He said, causing her to flinch in shock.

"That isn't funny, Sensei…" She said with a pout.

"It wasn't a joke." He said seriously. "That's why I needed to have a word with you about this. It's much easier for you to over tax yourself than it is for the others. You especially need to be careful during this training."

"… Okay, I understand." April said with a sigh, looking disappointed that she couldn't just go wild like the others. It kind of took half the fun out of it…


	19. Chapter18: Symbol of Courage

**Previous:**

_"I'm glad you had such a good teacher." Kakashi said gently, placing a hand on her head. "It saves me a lot of trouble." He added with a smile._

_"That doesn't mean you can start slacking off on me now, Sensei." April quipped with a rueful smile._

_"Wouldn't dream of it." Kakashi replied. "After all, you're going to need to train at least three times as hard as the others to overcome that handicap of yours. Just be careful not to overdo it, or you could end up dying." He said, causing her to flinch in shock._

_"That isn't funny, Sensei…" She said with a pout._

_"It wasn't a joke." He said seriously. "That's why I needed to have a word with you about this. It's much easier for you to over tax yourself than it is for the others. You especially need to be careful during this training."_

_"… Okay, I understand." April said with a sigh, looking disappointed that she couldn't just go wild like the others. It kind of took half the fun out of it…_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Symbol of Courage**

* * *

"AHH_!_! Ouch_!_!" Naruto yelled as he fell for the umpteenth time in a row, cradling his aching head. He had bumps on top of his bumps! But even so, out of the four of them, he still had the most energy left. Sasuke and April were taking a knee, panting as they took a short break and tried to catch their breath. Although she wasn't sprinting up the tree anymore, just as Kakashi-sensei had predicted, it was taking a lot out of her trying to keep up with the others. Without the extra momentum to aid her, she was only beating Naruto by a few centimeters.

'I'm worn out…' Sakura thought, also panting, as she lay at the bottom of her tree, watching the others. They were all drenched in sweat. Even though she was leaps and bounds ahead of the others, Sensei was still making her practice some more and she now had to go up _and_ down using only her feet. 'What stamina those three have…' They'd been going at it for ages without stopping. 'But Naruto isn't improving at all. It's about time for him to give up and start complaining.'

"Damn it_!_!" Naruto cursed, stomping his foot in frustration.

'I knew it! He sure is easy to read… huh?' She thought, surprised when he came over to talk to her instead of just stomping off or throwing a fit.

"Umm… Umm…! Hey, can you give me some tips_!_?" He asked earnestly as he squatted down beside her, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't hear. It was kind of embarrassing, being the first one to ask for help. April smiled slightly when she saw what he was up to. Naruto was really starting to grow up.

'He's going to get stronger and stronger. But just how strong?' Kakashi wondered as he watched. 'Naruto, the amount of potential chakra you have is most likely greater than Sasuke's… and even my own… I'm really looking forward to this…'

–∞–

"Huaah…" Sakura let out a big yawn as she stretched her arms. While the others kept training, she had been sent to watch over Tazuna-san while he continued his work on the bridge.

"You sure seem bored all by yourself." The old man remarked as he strolled past her toting a beam over his shoulder. "Where're the blonde and purple-haired kids and the other one?"

"They're training."

"You don't have to?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since I'm so superior, Kakashi-sensei asked me to protect you." Sakura stated proudly.

"_Really_?" Tazuna asked skeptically, looking extremely doubtful of her skills. Wasn't she the weakest one?

"…" A vein throbbed on Sakura's head. She clearly didn't appreciate the sarcasm.

"Urgh!" Tazuna groaned as he leaned over and set down the beam he was carrying. This work was tough on the back.

"Hey, Tazuna_!_!" One of the other men working on the bridge called out.

"Hn? What is it, Giichi?" Tazuna asked as he wiped away some of the sweat on his face.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, and… Can I stop working on the bridge?" Giichi asked.

"W-Why is that_!_!_?_" Tazuna shouted incredulously, taken aback. "This is so sudden_!_! Not you, too_!_!"

"Tazuna, we've been close for long time now. I want to help you, but if we continue this, Gatō will notice us. And if you get killed, then what's the point?" Giichi asked grimly. "Why don't we stop now… building this bridge…"

"…" Sakura watched the two old men with a worried expression on her face.

"I can't do that." Tazuna said firmly after a moment of silence. "This bridge is our bridge. This is the bridge we started building together believing it would bring more resources into our super poor country."

"But if we loose our lives…_!_!_!_" Giichi exclaimed anxiously.

"It's already noon, let's stop for today." Tazuna said calmly as he started to walk away. "Giichi, you don't have to come tomorrow."

"Hey, where are we going?" Sakura asked as she followed Tazuna into the marketplace.

"I'm supposed to bring home food for lunch." Tazuna told her as they passed a man wearing a sign that had 'will take any job' written on it.

'What's with this village…?' Sakura wondered with a frown. Why did it look so run down?

"Stop, thief_!_!" Someone yelled in the distance.

'That's just a child…' She thought as they walked past a ragged vagrant sitting on the side of the street.

"Here we are." Tazuna said as he stopped and entered the shop he had been looking for.

"Welcome." The storeowner greeted them, sounding tired.

'There's hardly anything here to buy…' Sakura thought as she looked around at all the bare shelves, wondering why there was so little food. One of the men in the store eyed her bag as he walked by.

"_!_!" Sakura exclaimed, blushing bright red when his hand brushed against her back as he reached for the bag. "Kyaa_!_! Pervert_!_!" She shrieked, immediately lashing out at him with a roundhouse kick, sending the unlucky pickpocket flying.

"No, I was…_!_!" He tried to protest as he fell, but he was out as soon as he hit the ground.

"You sure surprised me earlier." Tazuna remarked as they left the store with their groceries.

"What's with this place?" Sakura huffed indignantly. Couldn't a cute girl go shopping without getting assaulted around here? "_!_?" She flinched when she felt someone reach out and tug her skirt near her butt. 'Again_!_?' She thought with a vein throbbing on her forehead. She spun around, ready to give the pervert a piece of her mind and a taste of her fist, but stopped when she saw who it was. "!" She gasped, taken aback. It was a just a little kid… He was holding his hands up like a beggar. Not knowing what else to do for him, Sakura decided to reach into her bag and give him some candy she had brought along with her. The little kid's face lit up like it was Christmas upon receiving such a rare item and smiled up at her with heartfelt gratitude before rushing off with his new treasure.

"It's been like this since Gatō came." Tazuna told her. "All the adults have lost hope. That's why we now need that bridge. A symbol of courage… We need for the people to lose their fear and regain the desire to stand up for themselves. If that bridge… If that bridge can be completed, the city will return to that time… They people will return to how they used to be…" He said solemnly.

'Sasuke-kun… Naruto… April-chan…' Sakura thought sadly, feeling sorry the people of the Land of Waves. She wondered how her teammates were progressing… They had to get stronger so they could save these people.

–∞–

"Daaa_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled as he, Sasuke, and April raced up their trees again. The moment Naruto felt his foot start to slip, he marked his place and threw himself into a flip so he would land on his feet.

"!" April gasped when she tried to take the next step and couldn't get any traction at all, causing her to fall in a bad way. She quickly stabbed the tree with her kunai, using it as break as she tried slid down the trunk of the tree until she could get a purchase and flip away. "Phew_!_!" She breathed a sigh of relief once she landed safely on the ground, wiping the sweat from her brow. Looks like it was time to take another break. She was starting to get too tired to even take the fall right…

"!" Naruto said, relieved that she was all right. However, his mood darkened considerably when he noticed that Sasuke was still going. 'Damn it_!_! Damn it_!_!' He cursed internally. 'Sasuke keeps climbing higher and higher!" Sasuke felt his chakra weaken and marked his place as he pushed off of his tree and used April's as a spring board, jumping between the two of them to get back down.

"!" He gasped when he saw where her latest mark was and realized just how far she and Naruto had advanced while he wasn't paying attention to them. 'Damn…! They're catching up to me…' He thought as he landed, furrowing his brow. While his marks were getting closer and closer to together as he started to reach his limit, they were steadily closing in on him.

'Goddammit!' Naruto cursed silently in frustration. Sasuke thought he was so cool… 'No_!_! No_!_! Stop thinking about Sasuke! I'll just lose my concentration.' He scolded himself, shaking his head to clear it. He thought back to the tips Sakura had given him. She said to gather chakra in your feet, it was important to relax and focus on the tree. He closed his eyes and formed a hand seal. 'Focus_!_! Focus_!_!'

'Oh? It looks like Sakura gave him some good tips.' April thought as she watched him calm down and regain his focus. She stood up and brushed herself off a little. 'Me, too… I should try meditating a little to re-center and focus my own mind and spiritual energy.'

'Ok_!_! Here it goes_!_!' Naruto thought determinedly once he was he ready to begin again, launching himself forward.

"Hey, Naruto_!_!" Sasuke called out, startling him so much that Naruto tripped and fell flat on his face.

"What the hell's your problem_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded incredulously with an angry vein throbbing on his forehead. "Can't you see I'm trying to focus_!_!_?_"

"… Well… Umm…" Sasuke said really hesitantly, looking extremely conflicted.

"What is it?" Naruto asked grumpily, crossing his arms. 'It's rare for him to try to talk to me…'

"Wha… What did Sakura tell you?" Sasuke asked grudgingly, blushing slightly out of embarrassment. To think he would have to ask _Naruto_ of all people for help…

'_!_?' Naruto and April thought as she opened her eyes, and they both gaped at him in surprise. Was the sky about to fall? A sly grin spread across Naruto's face. "It's a secret_!_!" He said mercilessly, causing Sasuke to flinch in shock at the blunt rejection.

"!" Sasuke said as his eye twitched dangerously. The forest was dead silent. April let out a sigh. What a shame, just when Sasuke finally attempted to swallow some of his pride… Naruto just couldn't resist throwing that back in his face, huh? He still had some growing up to do… "St-Stop dancing_!_!_!_" Sasuke snapped at her abruptly to break the awkward silence.

"It's not dancing. It's meditation through movement." April said calmly as she continued her little exercise, moving slowly but gracefully through a repetitive set of simple stances. It was a good way to relax without having to sit still. She felt like if she stopped moving for too long, she wouldn't be able to get up again…

"Oh, you're doing that 'daichi' thing again?" Naruto asked. He vaguely remembered her attempting to get him to try it awhile back, but he just didn't have the patience… Plus it looked kinda lame.

"It's _tai chi._" She corrected him with a straight face, sweat-dropping. "And you guys are harshing my mellow, so would you mind keeping it down for a bit... Unless… you want me to teach it to you? This is a good beginner's exercise for learning how to focus your mind and spiritual energy while moving."

"…" Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance. Well, it's not like anyone else was around to see, so...

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." April said with the hint of a smirk. "Okay, let's get started…"

"Hey, it's lunchtime, you guys_!_!" Kakashi called out as he hobbled into view, having just come back to fetch them.

"… As soon as we finish eating lunch!" She finished with a gleam in her eye as she suddenly realized how hungry she was upon hearing those words, causing the boys to sweat-drop.

–∞–

"Wow_!_! This is super fun_!_!" Tazuna said with a laugh as they all sat around the table, eating lunch together. "It's been a long time since we ate with so many people!" It sure was lively. Naruto and Sasuke were scarfing down their food so fast that they were practically inhaling it.

"More_!_!" They both shouted at the same time, holding their plates out for seconds. Their eyes met in a fierce glare and sparks of animosity flew between them. Naruto was determined not to lose to Sasuke in _anything_, and Sasuke was still pissed about how he had embarrassed him earlier when he asked for help. April just shook her head slightly at them as she continued to eat. _Boys_…

"!" Sakura said, wondering what their problem was. They were acting even worse than usual…

"Ugh_!_!" Both boys suddenly groaned as they turned green in the face and their cheeks bulged out.

"?" Sakura blinked.

'Uh-oh…' April thought, recognizing that look.

"Bleeerggghhh_!_!_!_" Naruto and Sasuke barfed, leaning over so they wouldn't hit the table.

"…" Both girls stared at them with extremely unimpressed looks on their faces. So gross…

"If you're going to throw up, then stop eating_!_!" Sakura scolded them, more upset than usual after seeing how scare food was at market.

"No, I must eat." Sasuke said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, we have to no matter what." Naruto agreed determinedly. "Because we have to become stronger."

"Yep, yep! But no need to throw up." Kakashi told them calmly, nodding his head.

"Right, throwing up is your body's way of telling you you've had too much! If you keep forcing yourselves like that, you'll just get sick and possibly end up with some kind of eating disorder. If you really want to get strong, just eat normally until your full, wait a bit, and _then_ see if you still have room. You have to give your body a chance to absorb at least some of the nutrients before you can take in more. The only thing you're doing right now is wasting food." April lectured them with a frown, furrowing her brow slightly with disapproval. Not to mention that making such a terrible mess in someone else's home was incredibly rude.

"Hmph. You think you know everything, huh?" Sasuke remarked sarcastically.

"No, just more than you." April replied with as hint of sass as she took another bite of food. Sakura gasped indignantly on Sasuke's behalf.

"Hah_!_! _Burn!_!" Naruto laughed and pointed at his rival with a grin while Sasuke glowered at her in response.

"Hey, why do you have a torn picture on the wall?" Sakura asked while Tsunami was washing the dishes after supper. April had offered to help out of courtesy, but Tsunami had turned her down, saying she didn't have to because she was a guest. "Inari-kun was staring at this during dinner. It seems like someone purposefully removed the person who was in this picture."

"!" Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami said. Their expressions changed instantly.

"…" Kakashi and April could tell by the looks on their faces and the sudden change in the atmosphere that Sakura had just stepped on landmine.

"… It's my husband." Tsunami answered quietly without turning to face them.

"And… the man called the hero of this city…" Tazuna added with an uncharacteristic amount of reverence in his tone. Inari quickly got up to leave.

"Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami asked as she turned around, concerned. Inari slammed the door shut behind him as he exited the room. "Inari_!_!" She called out, heading for the door to follow after her son. "Father_!_! I have told you not to talk about that man in front of Inari_!_!" She reminded Tazuna angrily before also slamming the door behind her.

'… Awkward…' April thought as silence fell over the room.

"… What's wrong with Inari-kun?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"It seems there's a reason behind it." Kakashi remarked, subtly implying that he would like to hear it.

"… Inari had a father that wasn't related to him by blood. They were very close, like a real father and son… Inari would laugh a lot back then…" Tazuna said solemnly. Naruto perked up when he heard that and glanced at the photo hanging on the wall. Sure enough, there was a big smile on the younger Inari's face.

"?" He, Kakashi, and April said, concerned when Tazuna clenched his fists and started to shake.

"But…" Tazuna's voice trembled as thick tears began for in his eyes. "… But Inari changed… since the incident with his father…"


	20. Chapter19: A Hero

**Previously:**

_"… What's wrong with Inari-kun?" Sakura asked tentatively._

_"It seems there's a reason behind it." Kakashi remarked, subtly implying that he would like to hear it._

_"… Inari had a father that wasn't related to him by blood. They were very close, like a real father and son… Inari would laugh a lot back then…" Tazuna said solemnly. Naruto perked up when he heard that and glanced at the photo hanging on the wall. Sure enough, there was a big smile on the younger Inari's face._

_"?" He, Kakashi, and April said, concerned when Tazuna clenched his fists and started to shake._

_"But…" Tazuna's voice trembled as thick tears began for in his eyes. "… But Inari changed… since the incident with his father…"_

* * *

**Chapter 19: The Country That Had A Hero**

* * *

"The word 'courage' has been stolen from the people of this island… and from Inari…" Tazuna said grimly, furrowing his brow. "Ever since that day… because of that incident…"

"!" The others said, taken aback to see the tough old man on the verge of crying.

"That incident? What happened to Inari-kun?" Kakashi asked.

"…" Tazuna removed his glasses to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Before I get to that, I first… have to tell you about the man who was called the hero of this city."

"Hero…?" Naruto asked.

"It was about three years ago when that man and Inari met…" Tazuna said, deciding to start from the beginning.

_««Flashback««_

"Pochi_!_!" Inari cried as two bullies held him back while the boss kid, Akane, took his dog.

"Wrong_!_!" Akane said. "This is Shooting Star. He's my dog starting today."

"He's not Shooting Star, that's my Pochi_!_! Give him back_!_!" Inari shouted. "Pochi is my friend! I won't give him to you_!_!" A vein throbbed on the Akane's head.

"Shut up_!_!_!_" He snapped angrily, annoyed that he was talking back. "Hmph!" The boy smirked evilly as he tossed the whining dog off the pier.

SPLASH!

"Pochi_!_!" Inari gasped in alarm as he watched his canine friend struggle to keep his head above the water.

"Hehe. That's what you get." The Akane taunted him. "I don't care about that dog anymore. Hey, let him go." He ordered his friends.

"What are you doing_!_?" Inari demanded incredulously as they released him. "You're gonna kill him_!_!_!_"

"Heh! He's _your_ precious dog, right?" The Akane asked mockingly. "Go save him. Hurry up."

"Guh…_!_!" Inari flinched, looking guilty as he hesitated.

"What's wrong? Look, Pochi's going to die."

'I can't let him die_!_! He's my only friend_!_!' Inari thought anxiously, trembling as he watched his dog struggle to survive. 'But… But… sorry, Pochi… I can't swim…' He squeezed his eyes shut, too afraid of drowning to jump.

"Hey, if he's your dog, then jump in_!_!" The Akane told Inari, giving him a kick.

"WAAA_!_!_!_" Inari yelled and alarm as he fell off the pier and into the rough water.

"This is bad, Akane-san…" One of the other boys said when they saw how much he was struggling to keep his head above the water. "If he can't swim…"

"Ahh_!_! Help me_!_!" Inari cried desperately, thrashing wildly in the water.

"Forget him_!_!" Akane told his underling sternly with a vein throbbing on his head as he grabbed the other boy by the front of his shirt.

"But… But…" The boy said timidly.

"Then, do you want to save the pet?" Akane asked dangerously.

'I don't want to die… Someone save me…' Inari cried internally, choking on the water.

««««

"This isn't very important, but… Right then, Pochi remembered he could dog paddle…" Tazuna commented.

"…" The others stared at him. How ironic…

««««

"Ruff!" Pochi barked as he suddenly calmed down and began to swim his way to shore, leaving his drowning owner behind.

"Pochi_!_!" Inari cried, feeling immensely betrayed. "Pochi_!_!" Pochi managed to reach the shore safely and shook himself to dry off, none the worse for wear.

"Whoa! Hey, Shooting Star is getting away_!_! After him_!_!_!_" Akane yelled. He and the other kids all left Inari behind to chase the escaping dog.

"Pochi_!_!" Inari cried as he went under. 'Ahh… help… I'm finished… I'll… die…' Inari thought miserably as the air left his lungs and his vision faded to black.

The next thing Inari knew, he was laying on his back, staring up at the sun in the sky above. The scent of a smokey fire and roasting fish wafted through the air.

"You finally awake kid?" A deep, manly voice asked.

"_!_!" Inari gasped, shooting up into a sitting position when he realized he wasn't alone. What happened? How did he…?

"I yelled at those bad kids and taught them a lesson. Here, eat!" The man who had just saved him said with a friendly smile, handing him a roasted fish on a stick.

'… G-God…?' Inari wondered, staring at him in awe. No, that couldn't be. "You saved me?" He asked.

"You sure were getting picked on. Just eat up, then we'll talk." The man said, encouraging him to take the fish. Inari accepted gratefully. Despite having almost just drowned… or maybe because of it… He was suddenly starving.

–∞–

"I see… even your dog didn't help you?" The man said sympathetically after hearing the whole story while Inari ate. "In my country, dogs are very loyal animals. But you didn't try to save him either, so what can you expect?" Inari stopped upon hearing that.

"… I was so scared I couldn't move…" Inari said as he lowered his head, feeling ashamed.

"!" The man said. He hadn't said it to be mean. "…" He smiled a little wanly as Inari continued with a shaky voice, starting to cry again.

"I wanted to save him… but because I don't have any courage…" Inari said, sniffing as tears ran down his face and his nose started to run. The man gently placed his hand on top of Inari's head to comfort him.

"Yeah… any kid you age would be afraid." He said. "But kid… Remember just this. If you're a man, choose a life of no regrets…"

"Huh…?"

"For something that is precious to you… no matter how tough, no matter how painful… you must try and try… and even if you lose your life, protect it with these two arms." The man said confidently, making a fist as he patted his own arm. Inari blushed as he stared up at him in awe. He wanted to be brave like that… "If you do that, even if you die, the proof of a man's life will remain… forever. Right?" He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hehe, it's a bit corny…"

"Yeah!" Inari said with a smile, not caring that it was corny. He thought it was cool!

««««

"His name was Kaiza, a fisherman who came here to follow his dreams." Tazuna explained. "After that, Kaiza and Inari became very close. It may have been because Inari's real father died before he got to know him, but he and Kaiza were inseparable, like real father and son. It was only a matter of time before Kaiza became part of the family." Naruto smiled. "And Kaiza was also a man the city needed."

««««

"Terrible news_!_!_!_" One of the men from the city yelled as he burst into their home. "Kaiza, this rain is overflowing the dams_!_!_!_ D-Area is going to be flooded_!_!_!_"

"What_!_!_?_" Kaiza exclaimed, shooting out of his chair.

"Dad!" Inari said.

"Inari, bring me a rope_!_!" Kaiza said urgently.

"Yeah_!_!"

"This is bad." One of the other men said as they stood on top of the flood wall while a torrent of rough water rushed through the open gate. "We'll have to tie a rope to the gate and pull it closed."

"Are you crazy_!_!_?_" Another shouted. "How can we tie a rope to it_!_? If you enter those rapids, you'll die_!_!"

"But if we don't do something, D-Area will be wiped out. What else…"

"I'll do it_!_!" Kaiza said bravely, stepping up to the challenge.

"Don't do it_!_!"

"You'll die_!_!"

"This is too much even for you_!_!"

"Dad_!_!_!_" Inari said anxiously.

"Don't worry… Your dad is invincible." Kaiza told him, placing a hand on his head. "… Because your dad loves this city where you are from." Inari watched in amazement as Kaiza took the rope and jumped into the rapids, swimming with all his might for the open floodgate, remembering what he had told him the first day they met. _If something is truly precious to you… even if you lose your life… with these two arms… you must protect it!_! "Dad_!_! You can do it_!_!_!_" Inari yelled.

"Yes, he did it!" The other men cheered when Kaiza succeeded in tying the rope to the gate. "Everyone pull_!_!"

««««

"After that, the people here started calling Kaiza a hero, and he became a father Inari that could be proud of… But Gatō turned his eye on this city around that time." Tazuna said, furrowing his brow.

"And then this incident happened?" Kakashi said.

"…" Tazuna hesitated and started breaking out into a nervous sweat.

"!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke said worriedly. The old man was starting to tremble with fear and anger. April frowned. Seeing how deeply disturbed Tazuna was… She had a feeling she knew where this was going… and she didn't like it.

"What exactly happened?" Kakashi asked.

"… In front of everyone, Kaiza was… put to death by Gatō_!_!" Tazuna said bitterly.

"What?" Sakura asked quietly in disbelief as she, Naruto, and Sasuke stared at him, stunned. April furrowed her brow. It was just as she had suspected. She noticed Kakashi-sensei didn't seem at all surprised. He must have seen this coming, too…

««««

"Listen up_!_!" Gatō ordered everyone standing outside the enclosed area he had chosen to make an example out of Kaiza, whom he had strapped to a cross after ordering his men to cut off both of the arms he seemed to be so proud of. Kaiza was still alive, but just barely. "This man has been conducting terrorist activities against the Gatō Company_!_! He has been disrupting this country's peace, and as punishment will be put to death. I just hope nothing like this happens again." Gatō finished sinisterly.

"Dad_!_!" Inari yelled, pushing up against the chain-link fence. This couldn't be happening_!_!_!_

"Inari!" One of the people closest to him said, concerned he was going to get himself in trouble if he attracted too much attention. Despite his pain, Kaiza made an effort to smile one last time for his son.

"Kill him." Gatō ordered without hesitation. One of the swordsmen at his side drew his katana.

_"Dad!_!_!_" Inari screamed as his father was killed in one swing. 'You said you'd protect me… the city… with your two arms…_!_! … You're a liar, Dad_!_!_!_' Inari thought, clutching the fence for support as tears streamed down his face, overcome with the pain of loss and despair.

_««End Flashback««_

"Ever since then, Inari changed…" Tazuna finished sadly. "As did Tsunami… and the whole… And the whole city…" Naruto furrowed his brow as he thought back about how Inari had been acting since they arrived. It all made sense now… He tried to stand up but fell and face planted on the floor.

"!" He grunted in surprise. It looked like his body didn't want to listen to him after all the abuse he had already put it through this morning. "Oww…"

"… You okay?" April asked him, sweat-dropping. That was a pretty loud thud he just made…

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"If you're thinking of training, don't." Kakashi advised him. "You've released too much chakra, anymore and you could die."

"I'm going to prove it…" Naruto said, trembling slightly from the effort as he pushed himself back onto his feet.

"?" Tazuna said.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"I'm going to prove that in this world… Heroes do exist_!_!" Naruto declared, gritting his teeth with determination as he staggered forward, heading for the door. April smiled.

'Yeah, it's gotta be like that…' She thought, using the table for support as she made herself stand up. "Wait up, Naruto… I think I feel a second wind coming on."

"Hey…" Kakashi said as they both tried to leave while supporting each other. He was glad they were so enthusiastic about getting stronger, but how did they expect to train when they could barely make it to the door on their own? April was shaking even worse than Naruto.

"Don't worry, Sensei..." April said as they opened the door. She hadn't forgotten his warning earlier, but like he said, she still needed to train three times as hard as the others if she wanted to improve. "I'm sure we'll pass out from exhaustion long before we actually die."

"…" Kakashi and the others stared after them as the door shut behind them.

'That settles it… They're _both_ idiots.' Sasuke decided.


	21. Chapter20: Encounter

**Previously:**

_"I'm going to prove that in this world… Heroes do exist!" Naruto declared, gritting his teeth with determination as he staggered forward, heading for the door. April smiled._

_'Yeah, it's gotta be like that…' She thought, using the table for support as she made herself stand up. "Wait up, Naruto… I think I feel a second wind coming on."_

_"Hey…" Kakashi said as they both tried to leave while supporting each other. He was glad they were so enthusiastic about getting stronger, but how did they expect to train when they could barely make it to the door on their own? April was shaking even worse than Naruto._

_"Don't worry, Sensei..." April said as they opened the door. She hadn't forgotten his warning earlier, but like he said, she still needed to train three times as hard as the others if she wanted to improve. "I'm sure we'll pass out from exhaustion long before we actually die."_

_"…" Kakashi and the others stared after them as the door shut behind them._

_'That settles it… They're both idiots.' Sasuke decided._

* * *

**Chapter 20: Encounter in the Forest**

* * *

**The sixth morning of training…**

As the sun rose, the birds began to sing. Some sparrows twittered and hopped about. One of them perched itself on top of snoring Naruto's chest, and another hopped up to sit on April's forehead protector. Once again, they had both collapsed and fallen asleep outside after training. It was very peaceful out there in the forest, but they weren't alone…

–∞–

Sakura let out a huge yawn as she stretched on her way to the kitchen.

"Ah…" She said, stopping short when she realized she had already reached the room. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, hoping Sasuke hadn't seen. He was too occupied with eating breakfast to care.

"Naruto and April didn't come back again last night?" Tazuna asked.

"They've been climbing trees all on their own since they heard your story. Naruto's very simple…" Sakura said. She would have expected something this him, but she had thought April was a little smarter than that… Guess not. "They may have used too much chakra and died by now…"

"I hope they're all right." Tsunami said, concerned. "Two children all alone at night in the woods…"

"Don't worry, they may not look it, but both of them are true ninja." Kakashi said confidently. Even if they didn't come back to the house, he knew April would at least stop Naruto and make him take a short rest before it got too dangerous. Although she was eager not to fall behind the others, she at least understood how important it was to rest while doing such vigorous training.

"I don't know…" Sasuke said dubiously. "April might be fine, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was dead, that moron…"

"…" Inari stared down at the table in front of him.

–∞–

A shadow loomed over April and Naruto as two strong but delicate hands slowly reached for them, hovering over their necks for a second before settling on their shoulders.

"You'll catch a cold out here." They heard a voice say kindly as they felt someone give them a shake to wake them up.

"Hn?" Naruto and April both groaned at having their deep and much needed sleep disturbed.

"Five more minutes…" April mumbled almost incomprehensibly, wondering why her body felt so sore as she rolled over. She was still in zombie mode—sort of awake, but not enough to be completely aware of what was really going on around her. Her recovery rate wasn't as fast as Naruto's, who was already opening his eyes.

"Huh?" He said, surprised to see a beautiful girl with long, dark hair looming over him. "Who are you?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. The girl just smiled. Naruto blushed a little. "Did you wake me up?" He asked a bit shyly. "By the way, what are you doing here?"

"Picking herbs." The pretty stranger replied.

"Herbs?"

"Yes, that's right." She answered with a smile. "It's to cure injuries and illness."

"Are you sure it's all right not to wake your friend up?" She asked while Naruto helped her pick some herbs after she showed him what it looked like.

"Yeah, it's much safer to just let her sleep…" He replied, sweat-dropping, as he remembered the last time he tried to force her awake before she was ready. Her reflexes were scary…

"Safer?" The pretty girl asked curiously.

"Ah, but you sure are working early, sis." Naruto remarked, changing the subject.

"You too. What are you doing out here so early in the morning?"

"Training!" Naruto answered proudly.

"!" She said, looking slightly surprised. "You… that forehead protector… Could you be a ninja?"

"You noticed_!_?" He asked excitedly. "Yeah, I'm a ninja_!_!"

"Wow, you're incredible."

"Hehehe." Naruto laughed, happy to receive such praise.

"Why are you training?"

"Because I want to become stronger_!_!"

"Hmm… but you already look plenty strong."

"No, No_!_!_!_ I want to become even stronger_!_!"

"… Why… is that?"

"So I can become the best ninja in my village_!_! I'm going to make everyone acknowledge my strength_!_! And right now, I also need to prove something to someone."

"Is that for someone else? Or for yourself?"

"… Ha?" Naruto said, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. The pretty girl let out a small laugh. "What's so funny_!_?"

"Do you… have someone who is important to you?" She asked.

'Huh? What's she trying to say?' Naruto wondered, still not quite getting it.

"…" She looked down, deep in thought. She was quiet for a few minutes, but then she raised her head and looked him directly in the eye.

"?" Naruto said, a little taken aback. Why did she look so serious all of a sudden?

"When a person has something to protect… that's when they can become truly strong." She said solemnly.

"…" Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he stared at her, remembering the story about Inari's dad… Kakashi-sensei protecting him and the others… April jumping in to save him from those enemy chūnin without hesitation even though it was her first battle… And how he had stood up to Mizuki to protect her and Iruka-sensei after they protected him. "Yeah_!_!" Naruto said with a smile. "I understand that very well." The girl smiled back at him and stood up, taking her basket of herbs with her.

"You will become strong." She said as she turned to leave. "Let's meet again somewhere."

"Sure_!_!" Naruto agreed readily.

"Oh…" She paused for a moment. "And… I'm a boy." 'She' stated bluntly before continuing on her way, causing Naruto to flinch in shock.

'N-No way_!_!_!_ But he's even cuter than Sakura-chan_!_!' He yelled internally, holding his head. If he was a boy, then why was his kimono pink_!_? 'This is a weird world…' He thought as Sasuke came into view, walking past the pretty boy his way over to Naruto. Sasuke stopped and glanced back over his shoulder.

"…" He furrowed his brow as he watched the boy in the pink kimono continue to walk away. There was something familiar about that kid…

—∞—

**The next day,  
the seventh day of training…**

"Naruto! April!" Sakura called out as she and Kakashi, who had graduated to only having to use one crutch, stood in front of the trees they should have been climbing. The trees showed definitive proof that they had been training hard, but her teammates were nowhere to be seen. "Where are they?" She asked, glancing around. "They left by themselves last night, and now they're missing breakfast. Plus Sasuke goes off on a walk and doesn't come back…"

_SHHMP._

"!" They said when a kunai was thrown into the ground in front of them. Kakashi and Sakura looked up and saw that Naruto was laying on a branch that was about five sixths of the way up his tree.

"Hehehe." Naruto laughed, grinning despite how exhausted he was.

"No way… He can already climb that high?" Sakura said, surprised. He was almost at the top, now!

'Heh…' Kakashi thought. Not bad.

"What do you think_!_!_?_ Look how high I can climb now_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted excitedly.

"Where's April?" Sakura asked.

"Hm? She's over there!" He answered, pointing up and over.

"_!_!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise as she and Kakashi followed his finger with their eyes and saw that April was also up in her tree, about six sevenths of the way up. She was sitting on a thick branch and hugging the trunk of her tree, fast asleep.

'It's a koala…' Kakashi thought wryly. She looked kind of cute like that… He was impressed she managed to pass Naruto up. With how much effort that must have taken, it was no wonder she was so exhausted.

"Whoa!" Naruto said when he tried to stand up on his branch, slipping. "Ah!"

"AHH_!_! Idiot_!_!" Sakura cried, startled.

"Oh no_!_! If you fall from that height…_!_!" Kakashi said worriedly.

"AWW_!_!_!_" Naruto cried as he fell backwards.

'Damn_!_!' Kakashi thought anxiously. 'My body is still…'

_SWISH._

"Just kidding_!_!" Naruto said with a mischievous grin as he hung upside down with his feet planted firmly on the branch. "HAHA_!_! You fell for it_!_!_!_"

"…" Kakashi and Sakura stared up at him. This kid was bad for the heart.

"Y-You scared me, idiot_!_!" Sakura yelled up at him. 'Cha_!_! I'm gonna kill you later_!_!' Inner Sakura roared furiously.

"Ah!" Naruto said as his chakra suddenly failed, and he started to fall for real this time.

"Uh… AH_!_!" Kakashi gasped as and he and Sakura flinched in alarm.

"Aww_!_! Stupid Naruto_!_!" Sakura yelled. "Stop showing off_!_!"

"GYAAAH_!_!_!_" Naruto screamed.

THNK. _SHHH_. THNK.

"Ah?" Naruto said, blinking, when he realized he had stopped falling because someone had grabbed him by the ankle.

"You moron…" Sasuke said, chagrined, as he held onto him while standing on the underside of the tree branch. He had managed to run and jumped over to Naruto's tree just in time to save his sorry butt.

"Sasuke_!_!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. He had thought it would be April… He glanced over to see what she was up to. "…" He said, unimpressed, when he realized she was still fast asleep, dead to the world. How could she sleep through all that_!_? Just how much sleep did one girl need? She was usually such a light sleeper that Naruto half suspected her body had gone into some sort of hibernation mode to recover…

"Yay_!_! Sasuke_!_! You're the best_!_!" Sakura cheered.

'These guys are growing well…' Kakashi thought with a smile. He ended up with some really great students.

–∞–

"… 196… 197… 198…" Kakashi counted while he did pushups using only one finger with Tazuna and Sakura sitting on his back and legs to add a little weight.

"I wanted to ask you earlier, but… why are you still here when I lied to you about this mission?" Tazuna asked curiously.

"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive." Kakashi replied calmly. "Those are the previous Hokage's words. That is the way of the shinobi. Shinobis don't move because of money alone." It was an important lesson he wanted to pass on to his own students through example, just as his teacher had done for him before. Kakashi flexed his hand. 'My body is about back to normal…' He thought. It wouldn't be long now…

–∞–

Naruto and April were panting heavily as they and Sasuke clung to the very tippy-tops of their trees under the light of the crescent moon. The cool night air felt good. All three of them were drenched in sweat and dead tired, but it had been worth it. They were damn proud of themselves, and rightly so, because they had finally made it all the way… in fact, they had managed to get even higher than Sakura, since their trees were actually taller than hers!

"Time to go back?" Sasuke said with the hint of a smirk.

"Yeah!" Naruto answered with a grin while April smiled.

"Now we just have to get back down…" She said.

"…" The guys said as they all stopped for a moment and realized that might be easier said than done because they were all running on fumes…

–∞–

"They're late." Sakura said as she and the others sat down to eat dinner back at the house. "I understand why Naruto and April are late, but Sasuke-kun?"

KA-CHAK.

"Oh, you guys are finally back." Tazuna remarked when the door opened, and the very three they had just been talking about trudged in to join them, leaning heavily on each other for support. "What's this? You guys look super dirty and worn out." Yet despite being so beat up, they were all exuding a strong sense of accomplishment. April smiled.

"Heheh… All three of us… made it to the top!" Naruto announced proudly.

"Okay." Kakashi said, pleased with their results. They were just in time, too. "April, Naruto, Sasuke… starting tomorrow, you three will also help protect Tazuna-san." Sasuke tried to play it cool, but April and Naruto's faces lit up with open delight upon receiving their teacher's seal of approval.

"All right_!_!" Naruto cheered excitedly as he pumped one of his fists in the air, knocking everyone off balance just enough to send all three of them crashing to the floor like dominos.

"Ugh…!" Sasuke groaned annoyance, as everyone let out a laugh of amusement.

"_Ow._" April said flatly, chagrined. Like she wasn't sore enough already. "I don't think I can get up again…" She said as the boys started picking themselves up, staying sprawled out on the floor just the way she fell, too tired to move. "Maybe I'll just live here…"

"What are you going to do? Eat on the floor like a dog?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"… I'm considering it." April answered with a deadpan expression. Kakashi smiled wryly as he stood up, deciding to give her a hand. He didn't think the boys were steady enough to help her back up since they could barely get themselves to the table.

"Come on, April… Up we go." He told her, lifting her up and setting her down on her feet as easily as if she were a rag doll. "At least eat something and take a bath before you pass out."

"… Fine…" She agreed grudgingly, even though all she wanted to do now that she had finally accomplished her goal was slip into a short coma.


	22. Chapter21: Rival

**Previously:**

_"Ow." April said flatly, chagrined. Like she wasn't sore enough already. "I don't think I can get up again…" She said as the boys started picking themselves up, staying sprawled out on the floor just the way she fell, too tired to move. "Maybe I'll just live here…"_

_"What are you going to do? Eat on the floor like a dog?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"… I'm considering it." April answered with a deadpan expression. Kakashi smiled wryly as he stood up, deciding to give her a hand. He didn't think the boys were steady enough to help her back up since they could barely get themselves to the table._

_"Come on, April… Up we go." He told her, lifting her up and setting her down on her feet as easily as if she were a rag doll. "At least eat something and take a bath before you pass out."_

_"… Fine…" She agreed grudgingly, even though all she wanted to do now that she had finally accomplished her goal was slip into a short coma._

* * *

**Chapter 21: A Rival Appears!**

* * *

"Hehe, I'm also worn out from today's bridge work." Tazuna said cheerfully as they were finishing dinner. He seemed to be in a really good mood. "At any rate, is almost complete." The moment their plates were cleared, Naruto and April immediately slumped forward to rest their heads on the table.

"Father, don't over do it, okay?" Tsunami said. "Naruto-kun and April-chan, too."

"Mmhm." Kakashi agreed with a smile, giving April a pat on the head as Naruto started to nod off. The two of them had really pushed themselves to the limit with this training.

"…" April said, blushing slightly, as she avoided his gaze, suddenly feeling a little shy. She noticed Inari was staring across the table at Naruto rather intensely. "!" She was a bit startled when tears began to form in his eyes.

"Why…?" Inari asked as the tears fell.

"!" Naruto said, taken aback when he opened his eyes and saw the look on the younger boy's face. "What…?"

"Why do you guys bother to try so hard_!_?" Inari demanded, slamming his hands on the table. "No matter how hard you train, you're still no match for Gatō's men_!_! No matter what glorious claims you make or how hard you work, when facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed_!_!_!_' The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

"…" Everyone stared at him in astonishment.

'Who's he think he's calling weak…?' April thought, chagrined.

"Whatever, kid… I'm not like you." Naruto said.

"We're not gonna let ourselves be killed off that easily." April added aloud.

"Shut up_!_! It pisses me off when I watch you_!_!" Inari snapped. "You don't know anything about this country, yet you're being so nosy_!_! What the hell do you know about me_!_? I'm different from you two, always clowning around and acting so cheerful—you don't know how hard life can be_!_!"

'Uh-oh…' April thought when Naruto twitched next to her. There was no way Naruto wasn't going to snap after hearing that.

"So it's okay for you to pose as the star of a tragedy and cry all day?" Naruto asked sternly.

"!" Inari gasped.

"Just keep on crying forever, you idiot! You little sissy_!_!" Naruto snapped with a sharp glare that cut straight through Inari.

"…" The crying boy was stunned into silence.

"Naruto! That's too much_!_!" Sakura yelled. "Why don't you say something, too, April_!_?" Was she just going to let Naruto get away with something like that? Normally she would be the first to scold him!

"…" April remained silent. It might've sounded harsh, but… she thought that was something Inari needed to hear.

"Hmph!" Naruto said defiantly, stomping out of the room in a huff.

"…" Kakashi glanced from his retreating student to Inari, who was still sitting at the table and crying, gritting his teeth. Well, that could've gone better…

–∞–

Once he felt Inari had enough time to calm down, Kakashi went to have a little talk with the boy, but soon discovered that he had been beaten to the punch.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" April asked Inari. He didn't say 'no', so she decided to just take that as a yes and sat down next to him on the porch, looking out over the ocean. "You know, Naruto didn't say that out of spite. He just doesn't use his head sometimes."

"…" Inari hugged his knees.

"Tazuna-san told us about your dad." She continued quietly. "… When I was younger, both of my parents were murdered right in front of me." They had died protecting her during a home invasion. Inari's eyes widened as he gasped in shock and finally looked at her.

'!' Kakashi thought, surprised. He suddenly remembered the answer she had given him during their survival test: _"I want to overcome the useless me that couldn't do anything to protect myself or the people I cared about."_ He furrowed his brow. 'So, that's what she meant…' He had no idea...

"Although I'm able to smile now, I also had trouble dealing with my grief…" She said, smiling a little wanly. She still found it hard to talk about most of the time. "But even though my mom and dad were gone, I wasn't alone. I still had people who cared about me. You have them too, right? Your mom and your grandpa."

"…" Inari looked down and nodded, suddenly feeling guilty.

"But I think Naruto's had it a lot harder." April continued, causing him to look back up at her in surprise. "You see, he never actually got the chance to know his parents. He doesn't even seem to know who they are…"

"Eh?" Inari said, shocked. Was something like that even possible?

"And until I started living in the village a year ago, he'd never even had a single friend. The truth is, Naruto's had a rougher past than either of us. But in the time I've known him, I've never once seen him cry or complain about it. He probably got sick and tired of crying." April said with a small smile. She knew the feeling. "Instead, he's always… trying his best to get people to acknowledge him. For that dream, he's able to put his life on the line… That's why, even though he acts like a goofy kid most of time, I really respect him. He knows the true meaning of being strong… just like your father. What he said to you before… I'm sure he's probably told himself the same thing over and over. He might be clumsy when it comes to expressing himself, but he means well… So try not to hate him too much, okay?" She finished gently.

"…" Inari was silent. He didn't know what to say.

"… Well, I guess I'd better go take a bath before I get too tired…" She said, rubbing the back of her neck. April hoisted herself back onto her feet with a groan. "I'd hate to fall asleep in there and have to be saved from something as lame and drowning in a bathtub…" She added as she headed back inside, giving him some space to think about everything she had just said. After a moment, Kakashi stepped out of the shadows and took her place beside Inari.

"Well, April's already taken most of the good parts, but I'll say this… It seems she and Naruto… may understand your feelings better than anyone else." The jōnin remarked, causing Inari to glance up him.

"What?" Inari said, wondering how long he'd been there.

"After all, they don't seem to be able to… not be concerned about you." Kakashi told him with a kind smile.

"…" Inari blushed as he looked down, staring into the water. Yeah… They were good people... he knew that now. No, actually, he had known that all along…

–∞–

"Ahhh~" April let out a long sigh of satisfaction as she exited the bathroom, feeling relaxed and refreshed after a nice, warm bath. It felt so good to be clean again~! Her feeling of bliss was interrupted by some all too familiar sounds of discord coming from the room further down the hall.

"What was that..._!_?" Naruto demanded incredulously.

"Shut up_!_! You're too loud_!_!" Sakura snapped at him. "Don't yell at Sasuke_!_!"

"…" April let out a tired sigh and hung her head in disappointment. Couldn't they just give it a rest for once? … How did they even have enough energy left to fight? "Hey, bath's free." She announced bluntly as she entered the room, interrupting the fight before it could escalate any further. "Who's next?"

"Me!" Sakura said eagerly, quickly snatching up her things and making a beeline for the bathroom before anyone could object. She had wanted to go in right after Sasuke, but since April had (uncaringly) snatched that chance from her, she at least wanted to get in before Naruto.

"Hey, April_!_!" Naruto said abruptly, scrambling to his feet. "Listen to this, Sasuke—"

"Don't want to hear it." April deadpanned as she plopped herself down on the floor and started digging through her bag. She pulled out a small jar of muscle pain-relief balm and tossed it to him. It was really effective, so putting some of that on should help prevent her muscles from getting too inflamed from the accumulated strain of training so intensely for a whole week straight and keep her from being completely useless tomorrow. "But I might be willing to listen while you help me with this."

"Mmn… Fine." Naruto agreed a bit grudgingly with a frown, knowing exactly what she wanted. He could tell April was starting to get too tired and cranky to be messed with.

"W-Wait, what are you doing_!_?" Sasuke asked, a little alarmed when she suddenly started rolling up her shirt.

"What do you mean, 'what'…?" She asked dubiously, looking at him as if the answer should have been obvious. "How's he supposed to apply the ointment on my back for me with my shirt in the way?" She didn't see what the big deal was. It's not like what they were doing was any different than helping a friend put on sunscreen. She still had the important parts covered, and she planned on finishing the rest of it herself.

"Geez, Sasuke, you're such a perv_!_!" Naruto said with a superior smirk. "Getting all flustered just because you saw a girl's stomach…"

"_!_!" Sasuke said, gritting his teeth in annoyance as his cheeks flushed and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

"… Am I interrupting something?" Kakashi asked from the open doorway, sweat-dropping. He had instantly guessed what was going on after seeing the jar of muscle cream in Naruto's hand, but it was still an odd scene to walk in on.

"Nope, Sasuke just started freaking out for some reason after I asked Naruto to rub some medicine on my back for me." April answered nonchalantly, suppressing a blush. For some reason, she felt a little shy about letting Kakashi-sensei see that much of her exposed skin… 'Aw, crap… I must be developing a crush on him_!_!' She thought, mentally banging her head against a wall. Were student-teacher relationships even allowed in the ninja world?

"Wouldn't it be better to ask to Sakura to do it?" Kakashi suggested with a wry smile. April might consider herself 'one of the guys', but she was still a girl...

"She just went to take a bath." Naruto replied. "Besides, it's no big deal. We do it all the time."

"All the time?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's no big deal, because Naruto's like a little brother." April said with a wave of her hand, not wanting him to misunderstand, even though he probably wouldn't care either way since they were just a bunch of kids compared to him. "And we're used to giving each other first aid for minor stuff. We live right next door to each other, so it's more convenient than a trip to the infirmary."

"Yeah, I'm just taking care of a annoying big sister!" Naruto said with a cheeky grin as he slapped some ointment on her back.

"!" April winced slightly and shot him a warning look. "That 'annoying' bit was unnecessary." She quipped.

"Yeah, like you can talk." Sasuke added moodily.

"Shut up_!_! You're the most annoying one of all!" Naruto snapped back at him. Kakashi let out a wry laugh at his students' antics. It was something of a relief to have his original impression that their friendship was purely platonic officially confirmed. For a second there, he had started to wonder… Well, they were all still a little young for anything else anyway…

—∞—

"Then, please take care of Naruto and April." Kakashi asked Tsunami as he and the others got ready to leave with Tazuna-san the next morning. "They've pushed their bodies to the limit. I don't think they'll be able to move today." Knowing those two, they would probably be upset once they realized that they had been left behind, but it was for their own good. April especially, since she really _had_ worked three times as hard as the others.

"Okay, let's super go!" Tazuna said, looking forward to finishing his bridge.

–∞–

"Is the ambush ready_!_?" Gatō asked Zabuza over the closed communication device from the safety of his office. "Hey, Zabuza_!_! Are you listening_!_? Hey_!_!"

"Shall we go, Haku?" Zabuza asked as he crushed the annoying device under the heel of his foot against the hull of the wooden boat they were waiting in under the bridge.

"Yes." Haku agreed, putting on his mask to hide his face.

–∞–

"AHHHH_!_!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, startling April awake.

"Huh_!_? Wha-What is it_!_?" April asked as she jolted up into a sitting position, wondering why he was screaming like the kid in _Home Alone_.

"We over slept_!_!_!_" He exclaimed. "Look_!_! We're the only ones still here_!_!"

"!" April gasped, realizing he was right as she glanced around the room. No way! Did that mean they…? While April was still getting her bearings, Naruto jumped up and ran from the room.

"Hey! Hey! Where's everyone_!_?" Naruto asked urgently, skidding to a stop when he found Tsunami knitting another room while Inari held her yarn for her.

"Oh! Naruto, you're already awake?" Tsunami said, surprised. "Your sensei said that you should rest…" Before she could finish explaining, Naruto was already speeding back to the room to get dressed.

"I knew it! I knew it!" He shouted as he burst back inside, startling April, who was already in the middle of changing her clothes, tearing off his pajamas as he shot past her to grab some his own. "They left us behind_!_!"

"Seriously_!_?" April asked as she continued getting dressed, feeling a bit miffed. "But this is supposed to be our first day on guard duty! Why didn't they just wake us up?"

"You wouldn't be asking that if you knew how difficult that was in _your _case_!_!" Naruto retorted as they finished getting ready.

"Sensei's a jōnin, he can handle it_!_!"

"We're off_!_!_!" _They both shouted as they raced out the door to catch up with the other.

"!" Tsunami and Inari both started in surprise as they whipped past them. It was like a whirlwind had just passed through their house!

"…" Inari said, blushing slightly as he remembered the talks he'd had with April and Kakashi about Naruto the previous evening.

"Damn_!_!_!_ Why were we the only ones left behind_!_!_?_" Naruto grumbled in annoyance as they leapt from tree to tree. Sasuke should have been exhausted too!

'Probably because we were the most beat up…' April thought, sweat-dropping. 'Hey… wait a minute…' She narrowed her eyes when she noticed something out of place on some of the trees. "Those marks weren't there before…'

_RUSTLE._

"Huh?" Naruto said when he caught first sight of yet another strange occurrence. 'What the…?'

"!" April gasped when she saw it too. "Naruto_!_!"

"Yeah, I know_!_!" He said, furrowing his brow, as they immediately turned back around.

–∞–

"Wha-What's this_!_!_?_" Tazuna gasped when he and the others reached the edge of the bridge and found that his entire work crew had been beaten up. "What_!_? What happened_!_?" He demanded earnestly as knelt down beside one of the men, who was still conscious.

"A monster…" The man moaned weakly.

'… Can it be…?' Kakashi thought as a bead of sweat formed on his brow.

–∞–

"Inari, help me with the dishes_!_!" Tsunami called out as two shady looking swordsmen arrived outside their house.

"Okaaay, but I'm in the bathroom right now!" Inari called back.

"Heh." The two swordsmen smirked and drew their swords. A woman and a child? This was going to be a piece of cake.

–∞–

"!" Kakashi gasped when the visibility started to drop rapidly. 'This mist…' He thought. "Here they come_!_!" He said aloud, putting the others on alert.

"!" Sakura and Tazuna gasped in alarm as she and Sasuke moved into position with their sensei to protect their client, each pulling out a kunai.

'So he _is _alive… and he's already here…!' Kakashi thought, furrowing his brow, as he formed a hand seal and started molding his chakra.

"Kakashi-sensei, this is… his Hidden Mist Concealment Justu, right_!_?" Sakura asked nervously, bracing herself for the coming attack.

"!_!" _Sasuke started trembling and tightened his grip on his kunai when he felt a huge wave of bloodlust.

"Long time no see, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice echoed through the thick mist. "I see you're still with those brats… He's shaking again, poor kid…"

"_!_!" Tazuna gasped in alarm when they were suddenly surrounded by ten Zabuzas.

"Hmph! I'm shaking with excitement_!_!" Sasuke stated with a wicked smirk.

"_!_!" Zabuza narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow at the boy. "Hmph..."

"Do it, Sasuke." Kakashi said with a smile.

_SWWISH—DASHH! SLASH!_! _SLICE_!_! KYASHHAA! SPLASH!_!

Before Tazuna could even blink, Sasuke had annihilated all ten water clones, reducing them to harmless puddles.

'You can't fool me!' Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes, as the real Zabuza and Haku stepped out of the mist to face them.

"Hmm… He saw through the water clones. That brat has grown. It looks like a rival has appeared… eh, Haku?" Zabuza remarked. Things were getting interesting now…

"It does indeed." Haku agreed calmly.


	23. Chapter22: Surprise Attacks

**Previously:**

_Before Tazuna could even blink, Sasuke had annihilated all ten water clones, reducing them to harmless puddles._

_'You can't fool me!' Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes, as the real Zabuza and Haku stepped out of the mist to face them._

_"Hmm… He saw through the water clones. That brat has grown. It looks like a rival has appeared… eh, Haku?" Zabuza remarked. Things were getting interesting now…_

_"It does indeed." Haku agreed calmly._

* * *

**Chapter 22: Two Surprise Attacks****_!_****!**

* * *

"Ah_!_!" Sakura gasped as her eyes lit up in recognition upon seeing the boy in the mask again.

"It seems my thinking was right on the mark." Kakashi commented calmly. "That masked one… He's obviously Zabuza's comrade, standing right next to him and all…"

"He should stop hiding under that mask and face us_!_!" Sakura huffed angrily.

"I'll fight him." Sasuke said determinedly, furrowing his brow.

"Huh?" Sakura said.

"Tricking us with that that stupid act… I hate bastards like that the most." He stated darkly.

"You're so cool, Sasuke-kun_!_!" Sakura cheered, fawning all over him.

'She is way too hung up on him…' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping. He really wished she would focus a little more on the enemy.

"An impressive young man." Haku remarked, obviously referring to Sasuke. "Even though the water clones only have 1/10th the strength of the original… Still, very impressive."

"But we have gained the first advantage." Zabuza reminded him. "Go!"

"Yes." Haku answered dutifully. He spun himself around with great speed, looking like a small tornado as he advanced upon Sasuke.

'What_!_?' Sasuke thought surprised, gritting his teeth as he braced himself just in time to be able to deflect Haku's attack.

–∞–

"Wait!" April whispered urgently, holding out a hand to stop Naruto when they came in sight of the house. "Look!"

"What're you—_!_?" Naruto began to protest until he saw what she was pointing at. Two really shady looking swordsmen were rounding the corner of the house, and they had Tsunami with them.

"Hehe… Looking at that pretty skin makes me want to cut it." The swordsman with tattoos leered at Tsunami.

"Walk faster." The swordsman in the cargo hoodie ordered. Naruto grit his teeth in anger at the way she was being treated.

"They've taken Tsunami-san hostage… We can't move carelessly or we'll put her in more danger." April said, furrowing her brow. "I'd rather get her out of there before we start—"

"Wait_!_!" Inari shouted as he rounded the corner next, chasing after the thugs who were trying to take his mother away.

"!" April and Naruto said, surprised.

"Huh?" The tattooed swordsmen said as he, his partner, and Tsunami all glanced back at the boy.

"Inari_!_!" Tsunami yelled.

"It's that kid…" The tattooed swordsman said with a frown. April and Naruto exchanged a brief glance and immediately sprang into action as Inari charged forth at the men holding his mother.

"Get… Get away from my mom_!_!_!_" Inari yelled bravely as he ran.

"Geez… Stupid kid…" The tattoo swordsman remarked.

"Cut him down." The swordsman with the cargo hoodie said, drawing his sword.

"Sure." His partner agreed readily, drawing his own.

"!" Tsunami gasped in alarm. "Inari_!_! If you do that, I'll—"

_WHACK._

"Shut up and sleep." The swordsman in the cargo hoodie said coldly as he delivered a blow to the back of her neck with his hand to knock her out.

"UAAA_!_!_!_" Inari roared as he continued his charge.

_SLICE!_

"!" The swordsmen gasped when they realized the thing they had just cut wasn't Inari at all… It was a log! "Substitution Jutsu_!_?"

"Sorry for being late..." April apologized coolly, holding Inari, as she landed next to Naruto, who was setting Tsunami down a safer distance away from the creeps who had just tried to kidnap her.

"… But a hero usually shows up at the last second." Naruto finished with a smirk.

"Naruto… April…" Inari said, surprised, but immensely relieved to see them.

"Great job, Inari_!_!" Naruto said as April set him down. "Thanks to you distracting them, I was able to save your mom." He had let April handle saving Inari since she was faster.

"Well, well, if it isn't two of the loser ninjas Tazuna hired." The tattooed swordsmen remarked. April and Naruto stood up and turned to face them as he and his partner suddenly launched themselves at them.

"Are you going to be alright_!_?" Inari asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Naruto answered confidently while April threw a handful of shurikens at their attackers.

"Heh, like that will work against us!" The one in the hoodie laughed haughtily as they deflected her attack with ease.

"Idiot_!_!" Naruto said with a grin. He and April smirked as his two shadow clones closed in on the men from behind, taking them out with some well-placed kicks to the head. Both swordsmen were out cold before they hit the ground.

"How did you know those samurai were coming here?" Inari asked Naruto while April tied the two swordsmen up nice and tight so they wouldn't be able to cause anymore trouble.

"Hn? There was a cut up boar in the forest." Naruto explained. "There were also a bunch of trees and stuff that had sword marks on them. They seemed to be heading towards your house, so we got worried. Anyway, enough about that…" He said. "Inari… sorry about yesterday…" He apologized.

"Huh?" Inari said, surprised.

"Hehe, sorry for calling you a sissy…" Naruto said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Forget it." He reached out and placed a hand on top of Inari's head. "You're strong_!_!" He told him with a bright smile.

"…" Inari stared at Naruto in amazement. Tears began to form in his eyes. He sniffed, trying to hold them in, but they wouldn't stop. "Damn it! I decided I wasn't going to cry anymore… You're going to make fun of me and call me a crybaby…"

"… What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Eh?" Inari said.

"It's alright to cry… when you're happy_!_!" Naruto told him with a big grin, crossing his arms behind his head.

'Naruto…' Inari thought, extremely touched. April smiled as she watched them.

"Well…" She said as she straightened up, brushing her hands off. "We should probably get going, Naruto. If they attacked here, the bridge could also be in danger."

"Yeah. We can count on you here, right, Inari?" Naruto asked.

"Yup…" Inari said, sniffing, as he wiped his eyes. They could leave taking care of his mom to him. April and Naruto smiled at how strong he was becoming.

"Alright, let's go!" April said as she and Naruto took off.

"Man, it sure is tough being a hero_!_!" Naruto said with grin.

"It sure is_!_!" Inari said with a smile, cheering them on.

–∞–

_KLANG!_

Haku's senbon needles collided with Sasuke's kunai as he successfully blocked yet another attack.

'Ah… He can keep up with that speed…' Zabuza thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.

'Hmm…' Kakashi thought. At this rate… "Sakura! Step in front of Tazuna-san and don't leave my side." He ordered as he moved back to protect their client. "We'll let Sasuke handle him."

"Yeah_!_!" Sakura agreed, doing as he said.

"I don't want to have to kill you… but you won't stand down, will you?" Haku asked Sasuke calmly.

"Don't be foolish." Sasuke told him with a smirk. As if he was just going to back down…

"I see…" Haku said. That was regrettable. "But you won't be able to keep up with my speed the next time. Plus, I've already gained two advantages."

"Two advantages?" Sasuke asked.

"The first is the water on the ground. And the second is that have occupied one of you arms." Haku explained, raising his free hand. "From now on, you will only be able to run from my attacks."

"!" Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes widened when he began using it performing multiple hand seals.

'What_!_? With one hand_!_?' Sasuke thought, shocked.

'With one hand? I've never seen that before…' Kakashi thought, completely astonished. That kid was really dangerous…!

'Special Justu: Flying Water Needles.' Haku thought, launching his attack.

"!" Sasuke gasped as thousands of water needles suddenly formed from the water at that feet and rose up to surround him.

'Doesn't want to kill… Is that true…?' Zabuza wondered as he watched.

"Sasuke-kun_!_!" Sakura yelled.

"!" Kakashi said worriedly, wondering if he should intervene. Sasuke raised one hand and closed his eyes.

'Remember the training…' He told himself. 'Concentrate my chakra… to the legs_!_!' He thought as the needles closed in on him.

_KRRSSHHHAA!_!

The needles collided in a fierce explosion of water as Sasuke shot up into the air just in the nick of time, using the chakra in his legs to jump five times higher than normal.

"!" Haku said as he jumped back out of the way of the explosion. "He's gone_!_!" He realized as the water settled. "!" Haku was forced to jump back again when several shuriken came flaying at him.

"You're pretty slow…" Sasuke remarked as he appeared right behind him. Compared to April, this guy looked like he was standing still. "From now on… you will only be able to run from my attacks." He said smartly, throwing Haku's words back at him. Haku spun around to block as he attacked again.

"!" Haku gasped as Sasuke instantly followed through by slinging the kunai in his other hand at his head, dodging it by a hair. "!" He gasped again when he realized Sasuke's foot was already speeding towards him. 'He's fast…_!_!' Haku thought as he was sent flying from the force of the kick, unable to dodge or block in time.

'What…_!_? Haku lost in speed_!_?' Zabuza thought, shocked.

"Gu…_!_!" Haku grunted as he hit the ground, skidding to a stop at Zabuza's feet.

"Looks like I have the advantage in speed." Sasuke said loftily.

"I can't have you underestimating my team by calling them 'brats'. Sasuke is the village of Konoha's #1 rookie." Kakashi informed Zabuza. "Sakura is the brightest in the village."

"Eheh." Sakura laughed softly, making a cute face. 'Cha_!_! Damn straight!' Inner Sakura boasted proudly.

"April is the fastest and the most adaptable." Kakashi continued. "And the other one is… the show-off, hyperactive, #1 loudest ninja in the village." He finished, referring to the one and only Naruto.

"Hehehe." Zabuza laughed.

"?" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow.

"Haku, do you realize? At this rate, we'll be driven back." Zabuza stated calmly.

"Yeah. We can't have that…" Haku said, picking himself up.

'What's this chill…?' Sasuke wondered with a frown when he felt a sudden drop in the air temperature. Haku made a strange hand seal. "!" Sasuke gasped in alarm as the water on the ground quickly rose up and formed several large, rectangular panels of ice, surrounding him on all sides like a room of mirrors. "_!_!"

'Special Jutsu: Demonic Ice Mirrors_!_!' Haku thought.

'What is that jutsu?' Kakashi wondered, furrowing his brow with concern. Sakura gasped when Haku stepped into the back of one of the ice mirrors and entered it.

"Huh?" She said, confused as a what appeared to be an image of Haku's reflection appeared in the front of it. Was he _in_ the mirror? But the ice looked like it was only a couple of inches thick…!

"!" Sasuke said when Haku's image spread to appear in every mirror at once, surrounding him on all sides.

"Damn it_!_!" Kakashi cursed, rushing to help Sasuke. "!" He stopped short when Zabuza cut off his path, intercepting him before he could reach them.

"Hey, your opponent… is me." Zabuza reminded him. "Against that jutsu, he's finished." Kakashi furrowed his brow.

"Well, shall I begin?" Haku's reflections asked Sasuke.

'What… What are these mirrors?' Sasuke thought, wondering what he was up to.

"I'll show you my real speed." Haku told him, holding up a senbon needle.

"!" Sasuke winced as he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. 'Ow!' He thought. Something just… "AHH_!_!" Sasuke yelled in pain as suddenly found himself in caught in an onslaught of attacks that were too fast for his eyes to even register before the pain hit his body.

"Sasuke_!_!" Kakashi yelled urgently.

"GUAAH_!_!" Sasuke screamed.

"If you get by me, I'll kill those." Zabuza told Kakashi, referring to Sakura and Tazuna.

"Damn_!_!" Kakashi cursed with a fierce glare.

"Sasuke-kun_!_!" Sakura yelled anxiously as he cried out in pain again.

"AWWW_!_!"

"… Tazuna-san… I'm sorry…" Sakura said. "I'm going to leave you for a moment."

"Yeah…" Tazuna said. He understood. "Go_!_!" Sakura took off running, pulling out another kunai as she jumped.

"Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_" She shouted, throwing the kunai at one of the reflections. "_!_!" She gasped, shocked when another reflection leaned forward out of its mirror and caught it. 'He stopped it_!_?'

_SHNNG!_

"_!_!" Haku grunted in surprise when a shuriken came flying from out of the mist from the opposite side, hitting his mask with enough force to knock him out of the mirror. "Uh_!_!" He groaned as he hit the ground, sliding out side of his dome of demonic ice mirrors.

"!" Kakashi and Zabuza said, surprised.

"Who?" Sakura asked, blinking in surprise.

POOF!

Whoever it was unleashed a huge puff of smoke for a dramatic entrance.

'That idiot… show off…' Sasuke thought with wry smirk as he lay on the ground, furrowing his brow. He only knew one person who was stupid enough to make an entrance like that in this situation…

'The hyperactive, #1 loudest ninja…_!_?' Haku thought. His eyes widened in surprise beneath his mask.

"Naruto Uzumaki_!_! Has finally arrived_!_!" Naruto proclaimed, striking a pose as the smoke cleared.


	24. Chapter23: Dreams

**Previously:**

_Whoever it was unleashed a huge puff of smoke for a dramatic entrance._

_'That idiot… show off…' Sasuke thought with wry smirk as he lay on the ground, furrowing his brow. He only knew one person who was stupid enough to make an entrance like that in this situation…_

_'The hyperactive, #1 loudest ninja…!_?_' Haku thought. His eyes widened in surprise beneath his mask._

_"Naruto Uzumaki! Has finally arrived!" Naruto proclaimed, striking a pose as the smoke cleared._

* * *

**Chapter 23: For the Sake of Dreams**

* * *

"Now that I'm here, everything will be fine_!_!" Naruto declared grandly. "The main character of a story usually shows up in these types of situations and instantly… kicks the enemy's ass_!_!"

"Naruto_!_!" Sakura said excitedly as she and Tazuna lit up, pleasantly surprised by the arrival of reinforcements.

'Hmph… That brat…' Zabuza thought, narrowing his eyes.

'He talks too much…' Sasuke thought, chagrined.

'Geez… That idiot_!_!' Kakashi thought, sweat-dropping. 'What kind of loud entrance is that? And he calls himself a ninja? … Where the heck is April?'

"…" Haku stared at Naruto, remembering their encounter in the forest a couple of days ago. So it _was_ him… "_!_?" He gasped, startled when he was suddenly hit by a powerful blow, even though none of the others had even so much as twitched. His eyes widened behind the mask when he found himself staring into a pair of determined blue eyes as the heels of the purple-haired girl who had just emerged from the mist dug into his gut. The moment April had him, she glued her feet to him by concentrating her chakra in her soles for a moment as she curled herself in to grab him by the front of his kimono and head-butted Haku, sending him crashing towards the ground. The impact from her forehead protector made a deep dent and small crack in his mask. Haku was stunned for a moment, but managed used his momentum to roll over and throw April off, flinging her at the railing of the bridge. April grabbed the railing and swung herself back around, delivering another powerful kick, to send him flying.

'Ah, there she is! That's our girl!' Kakashi thought with a smile. At least one of them knew the value of a surprise attack. She had taken advantage of the moment everyone was surprised by Naruto's sudden appearance to launch another attack and separate Haku even further from Sasuke and the ice mirrors.

"_!_!" Zabuza furrowed his brow as April sprinted alongside the falling Haku, pulling in front to strike again before he could land. April skidded to a halt and made a fist, preparing to meet Haku with a punch hard enough to finish splitting that mask in two. But before she could land a hit, Zabuza targeted her with handful of shuriken from behind. April sensed the attack and immediately countered by pulling herself down into a crouch as she spun around and threw a handful of her own shuriken to counter his, while Haku simultaneously threw some needles while her back was turned.

"April_!_!" Kakashi yelled, furrowing his brow.

"!" April's eyes widened as she watched the first of the needles sail past her cheek and quickly dropped, flattening herself out on her stomach, in case there were more headed her way.

"_!_?" Everyone gasped as all three attacks collided and canceled each other out completely.

"…" April furrowed her brow in confusion for a second, but quickly rolled back onto her feet as she carefully maneuvered herself into a defensive position while keeping her eyes on the enemies. She had managed to avoid taking any damage, but it had given Haku enough time to regain control of himself and throw the rhythm of her attacks off. She wouldn't be able to get the drop on him again so easily… The bridge was silent as everyone stared at April and Haku in astonishment.

'Wha… What just happened…?' Sakura wondered, dumbfounded. It had all happened so fast… The two young shinobi had packed so much action into the space of a couple of seconds that the only ones able to keep up had been Kakashi and Zabuza.

'Now _that's _how you make an entrance…' Sasuke thought.

'I see… So this one is… the fastest and the most adaptable…' Haku thought. The fact that she could keep up with him at his real speed was impressive…

"Hey_!_!" Naruto shouted. "What took you so long, April_!_? I thought we were going in together_!_! He totally almost got you there for a moment_!_!"

'We _were_ until you started with the crazy pyrotechnics…' April thought, sweat-dropping. "Hey, can we talk about this later?" She asked. "We've got bigger fish to—"

"Haku, what is this?" Zabuza demanded, cutting her off. Why did he help that girl block his attack?

"Zabuza-san… these kids… please let me fight them my way." Haku said calmly, using the opportunity to shift himself closer to the mirrors again.

"… So, you don't want me to interfere, huh, Haku?" Zabuza asked. "You're as soft as always…"

'Soft?' April thought, frowning slightly. 'He's right… even if I hadn't dodged, none of those needles would have hit me… He didn't know if I would make it in time, so he threw those to help me…' She glanced sideways at Sasuke out the corner of her eye. She could see him through the gap between the mirrors. 'And Sasuke's wounds… none of them look life-threatening…' Judging by the look on his face, she knew Sasuke had also come to this realization. 'But what is that jutsu he's caught in…? It looks like it'll be difficult to defeat from the inside alone, but if one of us provides support from the outside, then maybe…' She glanced back at Kakashi and the others. 'Sensei looks like he has his hands full with Zabuza, so the only protecting Tazuna right now was Sakura-chan… Naruto's stronger than me, so he'd probably be able to do more for Sasuke against those mirrors…' "Sensei… Where should I…?" April started to ask, wondering where she would be most effective, when she heard something that almost made her face-fault.

"Hey_!_! I came to save you_!_!" She heard Naruto's voice say from inside the dome of ice mirrors.

"_!_!_!_" Sasuke exclaimed, flinching when he was jolted out of his own thought about strategizing and saw that the idiot was sitting right in front of him. "You total moron_!_! If you're a shinobi, then use your head_!_! Why did you come inside the mirrors_!_!_? _Damn it_!_! I don't care anymore_!_! You're an idiot_!_!" Sasuke yelled, tearing him a new one.

"What did you say_!_!_?_ I come to help you and this is what I get_!_!_?_" Naruto shouted incredulously.

"…" Kakashi and April both sweat-dropped.

'That's Naruto… He comes to help, yet makes things worse…' Kakashi thought, chagrined. 'If I go to them, Tazuna-san will be in danger… but I can't just leave them… If I use a shadow clone, he'll just stop me with his water clone. I'll just waste chakra.'

"Umm, Sensei… Should I…?" April asked tentatively as she pointed over at the boys trapped in the mirrors. The fact that Haku was already slipping back inside one of the mirrors really worried her.

"Please do…" Kakashi said with a sigh, resisting the overwhelming urge to face-palm.

"Roger!" April said, immediately springing into action to aid Naruto and Sasuke, but she was too late. Before her fingertips could even brush against the edge of his kimono, Haku had already finished entering the mirror. 'Damn_!_!' She thought, pushing against the mirror from the outside. It was completely solid. How was he doing that?

"Ok, so there's the real one." Sasuke thought, keeping his eyes on the mirror Haku had just entered while April circled around the outside, looking for a weakness on her end.

"Over here." Haku's voice rang behind him.

'He moved…_!_?' Sasuke thought, whipping his head around.

"What's going on here_!_?" Naruto asked, confused. How could he be in two places at once?

'Then I'll just bust these mirrors_!_!' Sasuke thought, forming a hand seal.

'That seal…!' April thought. 'I see… He's going to try to melt the mirrors_!_!' She quickly jumped back as he released his chakra.

'Grand Fireball Jutsu_!_!' Sasuke thought as he unleashed a huge jet of flames from his mouth.

"!" The three genin gasped when the flames dissipated without doing any damage.

"It didn't do anything_!_!" Naruto shouted incredulously. What kind of ice was this_!_?

"You can't melt this ice with that level of fire." Haku said calmly.

"Damn!" Sasuke cursed.

'I guess this means the ice made with that guy's chakra is stronger than Sasuke's chakra molded into fire…' April thought, furrowing her brow. 'Wait a minute… could it be that we're overthinking this…?' "Run for the gap_!_!" She shouted as Haku raised his hand to attack again, pulling out some kunai as she ran around to cover them from behind.

"!" Sasuke's eyes widened. Of course_!_! If Naruto could get in like that, they should be able to get back out! Both boys tried to make a run for it, but before they could take more than a step, they were hit by a spray of needles.

"WAAA_!_!"

"GUAAH_!_!"

"_!_!" April gasped in alarm as they cried out in pain before she could do anything to block the next attack. 'He's too fast_!_! Entering those mirrors increased his speed exponentially_!_!_!_' Getting out wasn't going to be that simple after all…

"Damn it_!_! Where is he attacking from_!_? Are those clones_!_?" Naruto asked starting to get frustrated. "Where's the real one_!_!_?_"

"Trying to follow with your eyes is impossible." Haku stated calmly. "You will never be able to catch me."

"Che_!_! Shadow Clone Jutsu_!_!" Naruto shouted, forming the hand seal.

"Don't…_!_!" Sasuke shouted, but it was too late.

"Then I'll destroy all of them and see which one is real_!_!" Naruto shouted as he and his clones leaped into action, each going after one mirror. Before they could even get close enough to put a scratch on them, Haku launched his counter attack, moving so fast the only thing they could see was a second of color flashing all around them.

"UWAA_!_!" Naruto cried as all of his clones disappeared, and he fell back to the ground with fresh injuries.

"This jutsu uses the mirror's reflection to transport me." Haku stated calmly. "From my point of view, you seem to be moving in slow-motion."

'I knew it…_!_!' Kakashi thought, furrowing his brow. "For that kid to master a jutsu like that… It must be a kekkei genkai technique_!_!"

"Heheh…" Zabuza laughed sinisterly.

"Kekkei genkai?" Sakura asked.

"Techniques that are only passed down through deep blood relations and through the genealogy of those with superior body structures…" Kakashi explained.

"Then…!" Sakura exclaimed nervously.

"Yeah, you could compare it to my Sharingan. Even I couldn't copy it. It's impossible to defeat."

"…" Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration.

"Damn it_!_!" Naruto cursed, clenching his fist. "So what_!_!_!_" He shouted. "I can't die here… I have a dream I must fulfill…" Naruto stated determinedly.

"!" Haku said, remembering how Naruto had told him about his dream to become the best ninja in his village. 'A dream…' He thought, thinking back on his own past.

"That's exactly right, Naruto… You're not going to die here… Because if there's one thing I've learned about this world, it's that _nothing_ is impossible." April stated resolutely. "Thanks for the explanation, Haku-san. I get it now_._" She said, reaching into the pouch at the back of her waist. "Naruto, Sasuke… They're all real! He's just moving so fast, it only looks like there's more than one of him, because he's moving between mirrors at the speed of light_!_! So, you have to block as if he's attacking from all sides at once! You _have_ to work together_!_!" She shouted urgently. "Try standing back to back, and react the moment you detect even the slightest _twitch_ of movement, because with the speed he's moving at, it'll impossible to figure out where he'll actually strike from until it's too late! Just focus on protecting yourselves_. _I'll do something about the mirrors from the outside."

"Something… What 'something'_!_?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his brow, while Naruto tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Like Naruto said, we need to try to limit the places he can go… so he can't surround you anymore…" April answered, pulling out some bandages to tape up her hands up with. She flexed her wrapped hands and formed them into fists around kunais with the blades pointing out, focusing her chakra and her arms. "I'm going to crush them." April stated determinedly. She was getting them out. Even if she ended up breaking every bone in both hands, she was getting them out_!_!

"… Becoming a true shinobi is difficult for me." Haku said solemnly. "If possible, I don't want to have to kill you. Nor do I want you to have to kill me. But if you come at me… I can destroy my kind heart with a blade and become a true shinobi. This bridge is the place where we will fight… to connect to our dreams. Me, for my dream. And you, for your dreams. Please don't hate me. I want to protect someone precious to me. To work for that person. To fight for that person. To make that person's dreams come true. That is my dream. For that, I can become a true shinobi. I can kill you." He finished with grave determination. Naruto and Sasuke smiled, looking pleased with their opponent's resolve.

"… Me, too. My personal death doesn't scare me, but if you try going after those boys for real… I'll kill you." April stated seriously as she raised her fists, taking up an offensive stance.


	25. Chapter24: Crumbling Sharingan

**Previously:**

_"… Becoming a true shinobi is difficult for me." Haku said solemnly. "If possible, I don't want to have to kill you. Nor do I want you to have to kill me. But if you come at me… I can destroy my kind heart with a blade and become a true shinobi. This bridge is the place where we will fight… to connect to our dreams. Me, for my dream. And you, for your dreams. Please don't hate me. I want to protect someone precious to me. To work for that person. To fight for that person. To make that person's dreams come true. That is my dream. For that, I can become a true shinobi. I can kill you." He finished with grave determination. Naruto and Sasuke smiled, looking pleased with their opponent's resolve._

_"… Me, too. My personal death doesn't scare me, but if you try going after those boys for real… I'll kill you." April stated seriously as she raised her fists, taking up an offensive stance._

* * *

**Chapter 24: Crumbling Sharingan**

* * *

'Here we go…' April thought as she shifted her weight and launched herself forward for the first strike. "URRYAAAH_!_!" She yelled, stepping forward with her left leg into a spinning back fist, pushing the chakra concentrated in her arm down into her fist as she struck, squeezing it out the second her hand came into contact with the ice.

_BOOM—_CRACK!

"_!_!" Haku gasped she actually managed to chip the ice. It may not look like much damage had been done from an outside perspective, but the fact that April had managed to make a mark at all proved just how dangerous she had become. He quickly formed a seal and released more chakra to fix the crack. He couldn't let her break them yet!

'Damn…_!_!' April cursed mentally, furrowing her brow, as she shifted gears to try again, building up more chakra.

"Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_ Naruto_!_! April-chan_!_! Don't lose to that guy_!_!" Sakura cheered.

"Don't egg them on, Sakura." Kakashi said seriously.

"Huh?"

"Even if they could somehow defeat that technique, they cannot beat that boy." He stated grimly.

"!" Sakura gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Heh…heheh…" Zabuza chuckled darkly.

"They don't yet have the mental strength to destroy their hearts… and kill another person." Kakashi explained with a frown. Those three were still too inexperienced for that. "That young man knows the true pain of being a shinobi."

"That's right." Zabuza agreed. "A true shinobi can't be created in a peaceful village like yours, because you can't experience the most important thing. The experience of killing."

"Then, what can we do, Sensei_!_!_?_" Sakura asked urgently.

"…" Kakashi held Zabuza's gaze. "Sorry, but… I'm going to end this quickly." He said seriously as he raised his hand and placed it on his forehead protector, preparing to uncover his left eye.

"Sharingan_!_!" Sakura gasped excitedly. That's right, they still had that!

"Heheh… Sharingan again? Is that the only thing you cam do?" Zabuza asked mockingly. Kakashi remained silent as they continued to stare each other down. Zabuza reached behind him as he suddenly shot forward, pulling out a curved kunai.

"!" Kakashi quickly raised his right hand in front of him as Zabuza thrust the kunai at the left side of his face, clearly aiming for the Sharingan eye.

_STAB!_

"You asked if it's all I can do, but you are afraid of the Sharingan… Zabuza…" Kakashi stated, glaring at the missing-nin as blood dripped from the hand he had used to stop the attack, running down the blade of the kunai Zabuza had stabbed him with.

"Hehe… A shinobi's master technique… is not something that should be showed to an opponent over and over." Zabuza said, returning his glare.

"You should feel honored. You're the only person to see it twice." Kakashi retorted. "And there won't be a third time."

"Heh… Even if you defeat me, you can't win against Haku…" Zabuza told him.

'Kakashi-sensei can't win…? Is the masked boy that strong?' Sakura wondered, suddenly filled with a sense of unease.

"Ever since he was a little kid, I've taught him all kinds of fighting skills. Even in the face of the greatest adversity, he has succeeded. With no heart or fear of death, he became a fighting machine known as a shinobi. On top of that his jutsus surpass even mine, and he has the terrifying ability of a kekkei genkai. I gained a high-quality tool for myself." Zabuza gloated, withdrawing his kunai. "Unlike the scrap that follow you around."

"There's nothing as boring as a man's bragging… Let's get this started_!_!_!_" Kakashi said fiercely, uncovering his Sharingan.

"Hold on for a second." Zabuza said calmly with a smirk. "I'll use your own words and brag about one more thing. The last time you said this to me. Hehe… I've been waiting a while for the chance to use this line… 'I'll tell you this. The same jutsu won't work on me twice.' Wasn't it?"

"!" The crease in Kakashi's brow deepened.

"I have already… seen through the trivial system of that eye." Zabuza boasted. "In the previous fight, I wasn't just getting beat like an idiot. I had Haku hiding in the shadows, examining every aspect. Haku is also bright. By seeing a technique once, he can usually come up with some with a way to defeat it."

"!" Kakashi said, frowning. It sounded like Haku was like their April in that respect… Their ongoing fight was going to be a race against two highly analytical minds to see who could devise the most effective counter first…

'Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Concealment Jutsu.' Zabuza thought as he quickly formed a seal and disappeared into the mist. Kakashi furrowed his brow.

"Damn_!_! Hey, Sasuke, all we're doing is running around_!_!" Naruto said, frustrated. While April was busy jumping around the outside of the formation of mirrors like a flea on a dog's back trying to bust them out, the two of them couldn't even dodge Haku's attacks properly!

"Be quiet and get up_!_! I can't watch over you, too_!_!" Sasuke snapped at him. "We are going to be hit, just try to avoid a serious wound. There must be a limit to his chakra… He is already slowly…" Haku began to raise his hand, holding another needle. 'Here it comes_!_!' Sasuke thought, moving to dodge, but it was useless. Before he could move more than a millimeter, the needle was already piercing his knee.

"!" April grit her teeth as she continued to attack the ice mirrors. Blood was beginning to stain the wraps on her hands, but she didn't stop. _She couldn't_. Despite the added distraction of having to deal with Naruto and Sasuke, Haku was still healing the mirrors almost as fast as she could damage them. 'Come on… Please, let this work_!_!' She thought as she increased her speed, becoming a blur, as she changed her pattern of movement slightly.

"Sakura_!_! Protect Tazuna-san_!_!" Kakashi ordered as the mist began to thicken.

"!" Sakura started for a moment, but she clenched her fist, steeling her nerves. 'Yeah… I have to believe in Sasuke-kun. And worry about my own job!' She thought.

'What's this super thick mist?' Tazuna wondered, glancing around. 'You can't see anything_!_!'

"The enemy is serious_!_! Stay near me, Tazuna-san_!_!" Sakura said urgently as she moved closer to him, taking up a defensive stance to protect him.

"Ok, Sakura." Tazuna said, furrowing his brow.

'This mist is too thick… Zabuza shouldn't be able to see anything either…' Kakashi thought, wondering what he was up to. "!" His Sharingan detected a faint shift in the mist. "Gu_!_!" He grunted as he quickly tightened his grip on his kunai and instantly deflected the swarm of shurikens Zabuza had just thrown at him. That was too close for comfort…

"Impressive that you blocked those… Sharingan Kakashi…" Zabuza leered, appearing right behind him.

"!" Kakashi gasped and spun around to face him.

"But… the next time you see me will be the end of everything."

'His eyes are closed_!_!' Kakashi thought as his own widened slightly in surprise.

"You overrated your Sharingan too much…" Zabuza said with a smirk as he faded back into the mist.

"What…" Kakashi said, furrowing his brow, as a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his face.

"You acted as if you knew everything…" Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist. "… But your prediction that I would die was wrong. Kakashi… you can neither read my mind nor see the future… The Sharingan… is simply a trick that makes your opponent think that you can. It's basically an eye technique involving hypnotism and an attention for detail. By using those two abilities together, you can progress from copying the body, to copying the mind, to copying the jutsu. This is the dance that makes it seem like you can see the future. First, with that keen eye, you copy my movements and shake my mind. Once I am confused, you are able to figure out what I'll say and become me. And then… Once my worry and confusion reaches it's peak, you attach a clever trick. Through hypnotic genjutsu, you suggest what seal I perform. And then you simply copy that." Kakashi wasn't that surprised to hear his technique so thoroughly and correctly dissected as he might have been a week ago. After watching that fight, April had already approached him out of curiosity with the same theory. "So the answer is simple." Zabuza continued. "First, with this mist, I make that keen eye of yours useless."

"Gu_!_!" Kakashi grunted as he just barely managed to block another attack. 'Damn_!_! Not being able to see slows down my reactions.' He thought as he was pushed back, sliding to a stop.

"Hehe… And if I keep my eyes closed, I remove the chance of being hypnotized…" Zabuza added.

"But why? Then you can't see a thing, either." Kakashi pointed out.

"Have you forgotten…?" Zabuza asked.

"What?" Kakashi asked. He could hear the smirk in Zabuza's voice.

"I am a master of silent killing." Zabuza reminded him. "I can locate a target with just sound." Kakashi's eyes widened.

'Damn it…' He thought. 'I'm worried about Sasuke, Naruto, and April too. It's been a long time since I've been in a battle under such dangerous conditions.' Kakashi took a deep breath. 'Relax…' He told himself. 'Think… Where will he strike?' "!" Kakashi gasped alarm as he whipped his head around. 'Oh no_!_!'

Zabuza silently appeared behind Tazuna and Sakura. He gripped the hilt of his sword and charged.

"Huh?" Sakura gasped, startled.

"_!_!" Tazuna exclaimed in fear, gasping when Kakashi suddenly threw himself protectively in between them and Zabuza.

"Too late_!_!" Zabuza growled as he swung his sword, aiming to cut right through the copy ninja.

"KYAAA_!_!" Sakura screamed.


	26. Chapter25: Awaken

**Previously:**

_"!_!_" Tazuna exclaimed in fear, gasping when Kakashi suddenly threw himself protectively in between them and Zabuza._

_"Too late!_!_" Zabuza growled as he swung his sword, aiming to cut right through the copy ninja._

_"KYAAA!_!_" Sakura screamed._

* * *

**Chapter 25: Awaken**

* * *

The crease in April's brow deepened when she heard the scream, but she kept going, reminding herself how important it was to stay calm and focus on the task at hand. Panicking hadn't saved her parents. She wasn't going to make that mistake again!

"_!_!" Sasuke gasped on the other side of the mirrors, startled. 'That was Sakura's voice_!_!' He thought. 'What happened_!_? What's Kakashi doing_!_!_?_' He glanced at Naruto, who was lying flat on the ground, panting. His whole body looked like a giant pincushion. Sasuke wasn't much better off himself. 'Damn it… This is bad. I have to do something…' He thought, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to get back up. He didn't have to look to know that April was still doing her best to chip away at the ice from the outside. He could still hear the cracking sounds as she continued her nonstop assault on the mirrors… but they couldn't afford to wait any longer! Besides… His eyes were finally starting to get used it, Haku's movements.

'I'm aiming for critical areas yet he keeps dodging… He seems to be slowly learning to follow my movements… This boy can see something…' Haku thought as he stared into Sasuke's dark, determined eyes. 'Dodging all of my attacks at the last second… spectacular movement.' Naruto grunted as he struggled to get up too, pushing himself onto his knees. "You… move well." Haku told Sasuke. "But this time, I'll stop you." Haku's grip tightened on the needles in his hands.

'He's coming_!_!' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow as he braced himself. 'Calm down… Concentrate… And see through it_!_!_!'_ The instant Haku began to move, Sasuke grabbed Naruto and jumped to the side.

"_!_!" Naruto and Haku both gasped in surprise as the needles missed their intended targets.

'He saw it_!_! No way_!_!' Haku thought, taken aback. He gasped in alarm when Sasuke looked back up, glaring at him with scarlet eyes that each had two black tomoe around the pupils. 'Those eyes…_!_! It can't be…_!_! Sharingan_!_!_?_' "You are…_!_! I see… You also possess a kekkei genkai…" Haku said aloud, stunned. 'What a kid… It's not complete, but to awaken that ability during battle…'

"Just a little bit… but I can see_!_!' Sasuke thought, determined to win.

"Then I can't fight for much longer…" Haku said. "My jutsu uses up a lot of chakra. There's a limit on how long I can keep up this speed." Between keeping this jutsu open and the constant repairs from April's attack, he was beginning to run dangerously low on chakra. "Most likely, the longer this fight goes on… the better you will be able to read my movements. If your eyes are starting to catch me, then…" 'Attacking him head on would be dangerous…' Haku thought. His eyes landed on Naruto, who was still struggling to pick himself up. 'I'll use that kid to bring him to me.' "This is the end_!_!" Haku shouted, launching into another attack.

'What? At Naruto_!_?' Sasuke thought, alarmed. 'Damn_!_!' He grit his teeth as he forced his aching body to move. 'Please make it in time_!_!'

"Ugh…" Kakashi groaned, clutching the bleeding wound Zabuza had just given him on his abdomen with one hand as several drops of blood fell to the ground at his feet.

"_!_!" Tazuna gasped in alarm.

"Kakashi-sensei_!_!" Sakura yelled.

"You were too slow… Kakashi… Did your desire to save those brats cloud your mind and further fog up that Sharingan of yours?" Zabuza asked mockingly. "Even with that impressive eye, your ability to read my movements is dimming… Hehehe… Let me enjoy this more, Kakashi… I want to have more fun while I return the favor. Don't worry about the brats, Haku has probably killed them by now. Plus, I'm about to send you to the same place as them." He added as he lifted his sword, preparing to strike again. "You can apologize to them in the next world for lacking the strength to protect them. HeheHAHAHA!"

"…" Tazuna sweated nervously while Kakashi furrowed his brow.

"S-Sasuke-kun won't be defeated by a guy like that so easily_!_!_!_ Naruto and April-chan, too_!_!" Sakura shouted anxiously. 'Hell yeah, damn it_!_!' Inner Sakura roared in agreement.

"Exactly." Kakashi agreed out loud, surprising everyone with how calm he sounded. "I believe in their strength. April's resourcefulness… Naruto's determination… And Sasuke is from Konoha's most outstanding clan." Zabuza's eyes widened.

"… You mean…_!_!"

"Yeah. His name is Sasuke Uchiha. A genius ninja… with the advanced blood of the Uchiha clan flowing through his veins."

"A survivor of that tragic clan…" Zabuza said thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes slightly. 'No wonder he's improved so quickly…' He thought. "But that's the same for Haku. No body has ever defeated that special jutsu." He countered. "I guess I should end this fight, too…" With that, he slipped back into the mist.

"He disappeared again_!_!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Sakura, stay here." Kakashi ordered firmly.

"What? Oh… Okay_!_!" She said, tightening her grip on her kunai as Kakashi leapt into the thick mist after Zabuza. That's right… Sensei was counting on her to protect Tazuna-san!

"Can you hear me, Zabuza?" Kakashi asked. He was ready to put an end to this as well. "You seem to think I survived in this world with only the Sharingan. I am a former member of the Anbu. What kind of ninja I used to be… Not just copying… I'll show you my own jutsu." He stated determinedly.

"…_!_!" April grit her teeth as she spun around, using her momentum to increase the power behind her blow as she swung the outside of her fist at the mirror in front of her, releasing the immense amount of chakra she had been building up while pretending to slow down in the hopes that Haku would feel less threatened and stop paying so much attention to what she was doing, and slammed the blade of the kunai she was clutching into the back of the mirror, driving it as deep into the slab of ice as possible.

_CRRRACKKK…_

Large fractures immediately formed in the ice, spreading out from the kunai. '_One more…!_!' April thought, drawing her fist back as she braced herself before rotating forward as she thrust her hand forth again in an open palm strike with the next breath, pushing out whatever energy was left, as the heel of her palm came in contact with the kunai. She thought she felt something snap in her wrist, but she just grit her teeth and kept pushing, driving the blade even deeper into the ice as the mirror finally shattered in its entirety.

_CRRRAAASHHHHH!_!

"Naruto_!_! Sasu…" The big triumphant grin on April's face died as her brain registered what her eyes were telling her about the scene in front of her. Haku was on the ground. Sasuke was standing in front of an unconscious Naruto. His body had been pierced with needles from head to toe. He looked like death warmed over.

"You're… late…" Sasuke said as she stared at him in shock, somehow managing to talk despite all the needles in his neck. Somehow… he had managed to make it just in time.

'No way…' April thought, starting to tremble slightly. He didn't have long… She could see it in his face. Her body suddenly felt heavy and numb. '_Not again…'_ She struggled to stay upright, feeling as though she was about to collapse from exhaustion and shock. "Sasuke…" She breathed quietly as Naruto began to stir.

"Uhh…_!_!" Naruto groaned groggily, gasping in surprise when he saw that Haku was on the ground and realized he could see April standing where there had once been a mirror.

"Geez… All you ever do is get in the way…" Sasuke told him, coughing.

"Sasuke_!_! You…_!_!" Naruto started to say excitedly as he finally raised his head to look up at the other boy. His face immediately fell when he saw the condition Sasuke was in. Sasuke… had just coughed up blood…

"What's… with those faces… you idiots…" Sasuke asked weakly as his teammates continued to stare at him in shock and horror.

"… Why?" Naruto asked with a trembling voice. Sasuke had clearly saved him.

"… How should… I… know…" Sasuke answered as his life started to flash before his eyes. "Heh…" For some reason, most of his memories seemed to include that moron's stupid face. "I… hated you…"

"But… But…" Naruto said, stunned. "Why…? Why me? I never asked for your help_!_!_!_" He yelled. He never wanted _this!_!

"I don't know… My body just moved on its own… Idiot…" Sasuke said as his body finally gave out.

"!" Naruto and April gasped as he started to fall backwards.

"Sasuke_!_!" April shouted, running into the semi-circle of remaining mirrors.

"!" Naruto said as Sasuke fell on him, catching him.

"That man…" Sasuke said weakly as April dropped to her knees beside them. "My brother… I told myself that I wouldn't die until I killed him… Don't you two… die…" He told them as his eyes closed and his breathing stopped.

"…" Tears began to form in Naruto's and April's eyes as they stared down at his lifeless body in shock. As their denial began to swell into anger, Haku finally picked himself up off the ground.

"He landed a blow on me, and without flinching… died to protect you. To protect a precious person, knowing it was a trap, he was still able to jump in. He is a shinobi that deserves respect." Haku stated solemnly.

"We… don't need you to tell us that." April said as she made herself stand up and turn to face him with tear-stained cheeks. She may have managed to break one of the mirrors, but this place was still dangerous. And she could tell from the ache in her right wrist that she had most likely fractured it during that last thrust, when she exerted too much force without holding any chakra back to protect it... It's a good thing she was ambidextrous. She gripped a kunai in her left hand. They needed to get out of there. She wasn't going to lose Naruto, too…_!_!

"Is this your first time experiencing the death of a friend?" Haku asked Naruto. He could tell from the look in April's eyes that she had seen the death of a loved one before. This girl was the most dangerous at the moment. She had also earned his respect, for being the first to have ever succeeded in shattering one of his demon ice mirrors… But she and Naruto were clearly exhausted, and he could tell had injured her right wrist from the way she held it. This fight would be over very soon. "This is the way of the shinobi…" He said sadly, phasing back into the mirror before April could stop him.

'Damn_!_!' She thought, furrowing her brow. After losing so much energy, her reaction time was pathetic! She was about to turn and attempt to snap Naruto out of it, when he finally spoke.

"… Shut up…" Naruto growled at Haku. 'I hated you, too…' He silently told Sasuke as he set his friend's body down. "I won't forgive you_!_!_!_ _I'll kill you!_!_!_" He roared furiously, oozing murderous intent, as his pupils became slits and his canines elongated into fangs.

"_!_!" April and Haku both gasped in alarm when they felt a sudden shift in the nature of his chakra as it spiraled out from him in a violent surge, carving up the ground.

'Wha-What's with this chakra…_!_?' April wondered as she shielded herself from the bits of debris caught in the gusts of wind. She'd never seen Naruto do this before! 'This isn't right... It doesn't feel like Naruto anymore_!_!'

'It's impossible for chakra to change like this_!_!_!_ And such an evil aura…_!_!_'_ Haku thought in the safety of his mirror, alarmed. The two of them gasped again upon looking closer at his hands as he stood up. 'The cuts on his hand…_!_! They're healing… What is this boy…_!_?" Haku wondered.

'I see… That's it_!_!' April thought, surprised, as she remembered how Naruto's hand had healed abnormally fast after he cut himself to remove some poison from their fight with the chūnins Gatō had sent after them. When she had asked Kakashi about it later, he had told her it was because of the nine-tailed fox inside him. 'This chakra… belongs to the nine-tails_!_!_!_' She realized, startled when Naruto glanced over his shoulder at Haku with a beastly glare, and she saw how his face had begun to transform. No way… Was the seal… _breaking!_?


	27. Chapter26: An Important Person

**Previously:**

_'It's impossible for chakra to change like this! And such an evil aura…!_!_' Haku thought in the safety of his mirror, alarmed. The two of them gasped again upon looking closer at his hands as he stood up. 'The cuts on his hand…!_!_ They're healing… What is this boy…!_?_" Haku wondered._

_'I see… That's it!_!'_ April thought, surprised, as she remembered how Naruto's hand had healed abnormally fast after he cut himself to remove some poison from their fight with the chūnins Gatō had sent after them. When she had asked Kakashi about it later, he had told her it was because of the nine-tailed fox inside him. 'This chakra… belongs to the nine-tails!_!_!' She realized, startled when Naruto glanced over his shoulder at Haku with a beastly glare, and she saw how his face had begun to transform. No way… Was the seal… breaking!_?

* * *

**Chapter 26: An Important Person**

* * *

"_!_!" Kakashi gasped when he felt the intense chakra that had suddenly exploded onto the scene. '… Is that Zabuza?' He wondered, furrowing his brow. 'No_!_! This terrible chakra…' He thought, alarmed when he recognized it, breaking out into a nervous sweat. This was the same feeling he had back then, when the nine-tails attacked the village years ago. '… It can't be…_!_!'

'What's this chakra… Something's not right…' Zabuza thought, furrowing his brow. 'Kakashi? No, it's too strong to be his_!_?'

'Naruto…_!_!_!_ This is bad…' Kakashi thought, getting anxious. 'Could the… seal have been broken_!_?' He wondered as the crease in his brow deepened. Kakashi took a moment to focus more on the chakra. '… This feeling…! It's all right! It hasn't completely broken!' He realized, somewhat relieved. 'But the seal is weakening, and the nine-tails' chakra is bursting out_!_!_!_' He quickly whipped out a scroll and dabbed his thumb with blood from his open wound, smearing it on the scroll as he pulled it open to activate it. 'There's still time if I do it now_!_!' He thought urgently. "Zabuza… can you hear me?" He asked aloud. "Neither of us has time to waste… This might not suit your style, but let's end the fun..." He spun the scroll around, rolling it back up. "And finish this now!" Kakashi clapped his hands around the closed scroll, forming a seal.

"Hmph… Sounds interesting." Zabuza's voice echoed through the thick mist. "What can you do in this situation? Kakashi, show me_!_!"

"Wait… This chakra may be the fox's, but that anger in his eyes is definitely Naruto's…' April thought worriedly. Still, it was dangerous to stay there. The fox's qi was terrible… It was so powerful that it made the very air sting, pricking her skin. Every instinct was telling her to get out of there. April didn't want to leave Naruto, but she knew what she had to do. With the way things were going, if she wanted to help Naruto… the best thing she could do was to get out of his way! April furrowed her brow and grabbed Sasuke, making a run for the opening she had made, while Naruto charged at Haku.

'Here he comes_!_!' Haku thought, getting ready to attack. 'What killer intent_!_! He's totally different from before_!_!' Haku swiftly threw his needles, aiming for the attacking boy. Naruto let out a roar, releasing more chakra. The needles appeared to hit an invisible wall and were sent flying away in the opposite direction before they could reach him. 'What_!_? He deflected them with chakra_!_!' Haku thought, startled. In that case…! Haku tried diving at him for his next attack, but Naruto punched the ground and pushed, spinning up and out of harm's way just in the nick of time. 'Damn! Gotta get to the next mirror!' Haku thought as Naruto landed, skidding to a stop. "_!_!" Haku gasped in alarm when he was stopped before this could happen. Somehow Naruto had managed to close the distance between them and grab his wrist. 'No way_!_!' He exclaimed silently in disbelief, shocked by the boy's speed.

"UWOOOOO_!_!" Naruto roared fiercely as he released another wave of energy. The pressure was so intense that several of the mirrors began to crack.

"!" Haku gasped as he formed a seal to gather his own chakra before he was completely overwhelmed. 'Damn, I can't push back this ki…_!_!' Haku winced in pain as Naruto tightened his grip, coming dangerously close to crushing the bone in his wrist. "Ergh…!" Naruto clenched his free hand into a fist. "_!_!" Haku exclaimed in alarm. He saw it coming but could do nothing against it. Naruto's powerful punch collided with his masked face with so much force that it ripped Haku free from his vice-like grip and sent him crashing all the way through the nearest mirror, demolishing it in one blow. April watched in stunned amazement as Haku slid across the ground outside the mirrors from a safe distance, still holding onto Sasuke. From her perspective, the battle seemed to have ended the instant after she retreated. As Haku slid to a stop, a deep crack began to spread through his mask, and the rest of the ice mirrors shattered and fell to the ground around Naruto in fragments. It was over. His jutsu had been completely and utterly defeated. 'Zabuza-san…' Haku thought as he forced himself back on his feet as Naruto came charging at him finish him off. 'I cannot…' part of his mask fell from his face. 'Defeat this boy….' The other half began to fall as Naruto leaped into the air. 'Zabuza-san…' Haku thought as his true face was fully revealed at last.

_THNK._

Naruto froze, stopping with his fist only inches from Haku's face. His fist was trembling from the effort of holding back.

"You… You're from that time…_!_!" Naruto said through gritted teeth, recognizing Haku as the pretty boy he had met in the forest.

"_!_!" April was surprised by his words. Did Naruto know this boy…? She was relieved that he appeared to have regained control and returned to his old self, but it was a dangerous time to hesitate. Haku might be exhausted and wounded, but the same could be said for them. April carefully set Sasuke down and drew a kunai, getting ready to back Naruto up if he needed her. Seeing the look on his face, she didn't think he could kill Haku… She didn't want him to have to.

"… Why did you stop?" Haku asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I killed your precious friend, yet you can't kill me?" Sweat began to form on Naruto's face as he glanced back at Sasuke's body, and April, who was still alive, but wounded.

"Damn it_!_!" Naruto yelled in anger and frustration, punching Haku. The force behind it was no longer deadly, but it was enough to send him to the ground. Haku coughed up blood as he struggled to push himself back up.

"What happened to your intensity?" He asked. "You can't kill me with that…"

"!" Naruto said, furrowing his brow.

"There are people who make this mistake, not killing their enemy because of pity… letting them leave with just their lives." Haku continued as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Can you understand… not having a dream… not being needed by anyone… the pain of simply living?" Naruto stared at him.

"…" April watched the two boys solemnly as she furrowed her brow. Haku was preaching to the choir. She had a small taste of that hell after her parents died, but no one understood that kind of pain better than Naruto.

"… What are you trying to say?" Naruto asked warily.

"Zabuza-san has no need for a weak shinobi… You have taken away my reason for existing." Haku answered with a sad smile.

"_!_!" Naruto gasped as he remembered what Haku had told him before about his dream and having someone precious to protect. "Why… Why for a guy like that… He's a bad guy who takes money from a criminal_!_!" Naruto shouted. "Is that eyebrowless freak the only important person you have_!_?"

"…" Haku was silent for a moment. "… I had people who were very dear to me… a long time ago… My parents."

"!" Naruto said, taken aback.

'I see…' April thought sympathetically. 'He also…'

"I was born in a small snowy village in the Land of Water." Haku began to explain. He had a feeling these people might be able to understand him. "I was happy… My parents were very kind people. But…" Haku furrowed his brow. "When I grew up and began to learn the ways of the world… something happened."

"Something? What…?" Naruto asked. April frowned. She was sure it was nothing good.

"… This blood…" Haku said, looking at the blood he had smeared on the back of his hand.

"Blood?" Naruto asked. Haku continued to stare at the blood on his hand. "So… what happened_!_?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"My father killed my mother. Then, he tried to kill me…" Haku stated calmly. Naruto's and April's eyes widened in shock.

"What?" Naruto asked, stunned. His own father…? But weren't fathers supposed to protect their families_!_?

"The Land of Water had endless civil wars, and those who possess kekkei genkai came to be hated." Haku said.

"Kekkei genkai…_!_?" Naruto said curiously. What was that?

"A technique limited to inheritance by blood. They're abilities passed down genetically within specific clans." April explained, remembering some information she had come across while studying about this world. "Kekkei genkai abilities that work via the user's eye, like Sensei's Sharingan, are called dōjutsu."

"That's correct. There are also bloodlines, such as mine, with the special ability to mix one type of elemental chakra with another, creating a new one unique to the users." Haku added. "Because of these abilities, clans with kekkei genkai were used as weapons in countless battles. As a result, these clans were blamed for bringing misfortune and war to the land. After these wars, these clans had to hide the truth about their kekkei genkai. For those whose secret was discovered, only death awaited. That young man must have also experienced much hardship… Those with special abilities are often feared." Haku said, glancing at Sasuke.

"!" April said, also glancing at Sasuke. Did that mean… Sasuke also possessed a kekkei genkai? Since when? Her eyes widened slightly in realization as she remembered how much Sasuke had already known about the Sharingan. 'I see…' She thought. 'So, Sasuke also…' But if that was true, then did it mean he and Kakashi-sensei were related somehow? Did the Sharingan have a connection to the Uchiha clan's tragedy…?

"My mother was from one of these bloodlines." Haku continued solemnly. "My father discovered this… when I came to, I realized that I had killed him… my own father…_!_!" Naruto and April watched him with heavy hearts. They didn't know what to say. Haku may be their enemy, but they didn't think _anyone_ should have to go through something like that. "And at that time… I thought of myself as… No, I had no choice but to think that… and I realized the most painful thing…"

"Most painful thing?" Naruto asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"That in this world… I am a person who is unwanted." Haku concluded grimly.

"_!_!" Naruto gasped as April frowned sadly. 'He's the same as me…' Naruto thought.

"You said to me you wanted to become… the best ninja in your village, and have everyone acknowledge you. Now, if someone who acknowledged you from the bottom of their heart appeared… wouldn't that someone become the most important person to you?" Haku asked Naruto. Naruto glanced back at April. That person had already appeared. And he knew now that he had Iruka-sensei, too. April thought of her old JKD instructor, Mr. Lee… the man who had become a second father to her after the death of her parents, when she had to leave behind what was left of her life with them and move to Pasadena to live with her aloof uncle. And now she had Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, and the rest of team seven… "Zabuza-san took me in knowing I was from a family with the kekkei genkai and raised me. This ability that everyone hated… He desired it." Haku said, remembering Zabuza's words from the day he first picked him up off the streets. _'From today on, you blood is mine. Follow me!'_

"!" Naruto said, taken aback when tears began to form in Haku's eyes.

"I was so happy_!_!" Haku said with a wan smile, furrowing his brow as he tried to not to cry. 'I'm sorry, Zabuza-san, I was unable to become the weapon you sought…' He thought sadly. "Naruto-kun… Please…" He said, closing the distance between them.

"!" Naruto said, taking a step back.

"Kill me." Haku said with a forlorn look in his eyes, resigning himself to his fate.

Meanwhile, Kakashi quickly finished performing the hand seals necessary to activate his scroll and slammed it to the ground.

'Ninja summoning, Earth Release: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu_!_!_!_' He thought as the words for the summoning spell crawled out of the scroll and dove into the cracks in the ground.

"Hmph. Whatever you do is useless." Zabuza's voice echoed through the impenetrable mist. "You can't figure out where I am. But I know exactly where you are. Kakashi, you are trapped by my jutsu." Zabuza furrowed his brow when he sensed a disturbance in the force. "_!_!" He said, puzzled, when he heard a low rumbling sound and the ground beneath his feet began to vibrate. "Huh?"

_CRRRACK!_!

"Gah_!_!" Zabuza shouted in surprise when a dog's head suddenly broke through the concrete and snapped at his ankle with sharp fangs. Unfortunately, while he was dodging that one, yet another burst through and bit his other ankle, holding him down while the rest of its pack broke through and jumped into the air. "_!_!_!_" Zabuza gasped in alarm. The dogs were too fast! They had him completely surrounded now.

"!" Sakura gasped when she heard the commotion, wondering what was going on.

"What's that sound?" Tazuna asked nervously. Those noises sounded disturbingly like the echoes some very vicious growls…

"If I can't follow you with my eyes or ears, then I just have to use my nose." Kakashi said, standing up as the mist cleared slightly. He could see where Zabuza was now, thanks to the ninken. "That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist. This summoning jutsu is specifically for tracking down an opponent. The reason I purposefully let my blood spill twice was for this. Your weapons are soaked with the scent of my blood. These are my cute ninja dogs. Their sense of smell exceeds that of all other dogs. You are the one trapped in my jutsu."

"Ungh…" Zabuza grunted in pain, narrowing his eyes slightly. He called _this _cute? The giant bulldog biting down on his neck and shoulder was monstrous!

"The mist has cleared." Kakashi stated, tapping the side of his face next to his eye. "Your future is death."


	28. Chapter27: Your Furture Is

**Previously:**

_"What's that sound?" Tazuna asked nervously. Those noises sounded disturbingly like the echoes some very vicious growls…_

_"If I can't follow you with my eyes or ears, then I just have to use my nose." Kakashi said, standing up as the mist cleared slightly. He could see where Zabuza was now, thanks to the ninken. "That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist. This summoning jutsu is specifically for tracking down an opponent. The reason I purposefully let my blood spill twice was for this. Your weapons are soaked with the scent of my blood. These are my cute ninja dogs. Their sense of smell exceeds that of all other dogs. You are the one trapped in my jutsu."_

_"Ungh…" Zabuza grunted in pain, narrowing his eyes slightly. He called this cute? The giant bulldog biting down on his neck and shoulder was monstrous!_

_"The mist has cleared." Kakashi stated, tapping the side of his face next to his eye. "Your future is death."_

* * *

**Chapter 27: Your future is…****_!_****!**

* * *

"My future is death? I'm sick of your bullshit!" Zabuza growled vehemently.

"Don't be foolish…" Kakashi told him. "There's nothing you can do in this situation. Your death is certain." A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Zabuza's face as the two jōnin continued to glare at each other. "Zabuza, you went too far…" Kakashi said, deepening the crease in his brow. "Your ambition was too great. You abandoned the Land of Water and became a missing-nin; your story even reached the village of Konoha. Your attempted coup d'état and your attempt at assassinating the Mizukage both failed. You needed money for revenge, and you also needed to avoid the hunter-nins. That's probably when you attached yourself to scum like Gatō." Kakashi made the ox, rabbit, and monkey hand seals as he molded chakra for his next attack. 'Lightning Blade_!_!' He thought, bracing his right wrist with his left hand, as his chakra lit up and crackled like electricity in the palm of his hand.

'What_!_!_?_' Zabuza thought, astonished by what he was seeing. 'There's so much chakra that it's visible around his hand…'

"You are too dangerous." Kakashi continued as he prepared to attack. "Tazuna-san, who you're trying to kill, is this country's 'courage'. The bridge he seeks to build is this country's 'hope'. Your ambition sacrifices too many people. That's not what a shinobi should do." He finished sternly.

"I don't give a damn…" Zabuza retorted defiantly. "I fight for my own ideals… and that shall continue_!_!"

"I'll ask once more…"

"Hm_!_?" Zabuza said, furrowing his brow.

"Surrender." Kakashi said grimly. "Your future is death."

"Please kill me." Haku repeated. Naruto grit his teeth but didn't move. "Why are you hesitating?" April looked down and tightened her grip on the kunai in her hand as she stood up.

"!" Naruto said, surprised when she stepped forward.

"It's all right, Naruto." April said calmly as she approached them. "You don't have to do it… I will."

"Wha–What_!_!_?_" Naruto yelled, startled by her sudden declaration. "How can you…"

"…Because I understand." She answered seriously, furrowing her brow. "I don't like it… but I understand. Besides… I said I'd kill him if anything happened to you or Sasuke…"

"…" Haku studied her face, which was set with grim determination. Her blue eyes were steady and placid she looked at him. There was no hate or bitterness, just a firm resolve to do what was needed. Looking at April, Haku knew… This girl, she really did understand what was going on, and she could do it… She could kill him if it meant protecting her precious friend. She was strong enough to take it on. But she wasn't the one he had wanted to face at the end…

"Ergh_!_!" Naruto exclaimed, furrowing his brow in frustration. "I don't understand_!_! Is being strong the only reason for you to be alive_!_!_?_" He shouted at Haku. Haku was silent. April waited patiently for him to finish. "Something other than fighting… You could have been acknowledge for something else…" Naruto said, looking down as he clenched his fists.

"The day I met you in the forest… I thought you were like me…" Haku told him. "You should be able to understand… That's why… I wanted it to be you, because we're alike…"

"!" Naruto gasped. He bowed his head and clenched his fists. He did… He did understand. "… Stay back, April."

"…" April frowned as the crease in her brow deepened. She was concerned, but she knew better than to get in his way. Naruto had found his resolve. He was determined to be the one to see him off now.

"Is this… Is this the only way…_!_?" Naruto asked Haku grimly, furrowing his brow.

"Yes…_!_!" Haku said, looking a little relieved that Naruto had decided to fulfill his last request. Naruto grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as he finished gathering his resolve. Like April had said earlier, he didn't like it… but he understood. Naruto opened his eyes and swiftly drew a kunai.

"Please fulfill your own dreams…" Haku told him. Naruto glanced back at Sasuke.

"He… Sasuke also had a dream…" Naruto said solemnly. "If we met under different circumstances, we might've become friends." He told Haku, taking the first step forward.

"Thank you…" Haku said, closing his eyes as Naruto charged at him. 'You will become strong…' April closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"Oh… The super thick mist is starting to clear…" Tazuna observed as he waited with Sakura.

"!" Sakura realized she could now make out some hazy silhouettes standing in the distance. "There are two people over there! It looks like they are staring at each other…"

"I can't see very well…" Tazuna said, squinting.

"Which one is Kakashi-sensei…?" Sakura wondered aloud. "Oh_!_!" She gasped suddenly. "One of them moved_!_!"

"UAAAHH_!_!" Naruto yelled as he charged at Haku, preparing to strike.

"_!_!" Haku's and April's eyes suddenly shot open, and they both gasped upon sensing a strong spike in chakra nearby.

"_!_!" Naruto gasped, startled when Haku suddenly grabbed his arm, stopping him at the last minute. 'Huh_!_?'

"Sorry, Naruto-kun!" Haku said, quickly forming several seals with his freehand. "I can't die yet_!_!" He stated urgently, disappearing in an instant, leaving behind only a puff of smoke.

"_!_!_!_" Naruto and April gasped in surprise and alarm.

'Shit…_!_!' April thought, furrowing her brow when she tried to move with her usual speed, but couldn't. "Naruto_!_! He's after Sensei_!_!"

"_!_!" Naruto shouted, quickly taking off after him.

'Damn_!_!' April thought, gritting her teeth in frustration, as she fell to one knee with exhaustion. A wave of fatigue swept over her. 'Why… at a time like this…_!_?_'_

Zabuza stared with wide eyes as Kakashi shot towards him with immense speed. That chakra made it look as if he was holding a ball if lightning in his hand. It really was over this time… there was nothing he could…

_CRK._

"_!_!" Zabuza gasped as a blur of something jumped in front of him at the last moment.

_STAB!_

"Kyaa_!_!" Sakura cried in surprise, shielding her eyes, as a huge explosion of pressure swept over them in a wave of wind.

"What happened_!_!" Tazuna yelled.

_SPLISH. SPLASH. SPLISH._ POOF! POOF! POOF!

As the blood spraying through the air rained down, Kakashi's ninken began to disappear one after another. The scroll used to summon them had been damaged by senbon needles. There was a blood-splattered ice mirror beside Zabuza.

"!" Kakashi gasped as he stared at his victim with wide eyes. The one he had hit with his Lightning Blade wasn't Zabuza… It was Haku! Zabuza stared in shock at the boy in front of him. Kakashi's hand had pierced through Haku's chest all the way up to the jōnin's elbow. He could feel that some of Haku's warm blood had splashed on his face.

"_!_!" Tazuna and Sakura gasped in shock as the mist finished clearing. Sakura held her hands over her mouth, horrified.

_"Gagh!_" Haku coughed, choking on his own blood. He had tried to activate his Demonic Ice Mirror Jutsu again to trap Kakashi and protect Zabuza, but it wasn't forming fast enough, so he used his own body as a shield instead. "Zabuza-san…" His body trembled as he forced himself to reach up and grab hold of the arm impaling his chest.

"!" Kakashi said, furrowing his brow, when Zabuza's expression changed upon hearing his name being called.

"My future is death? Heh… You're wrong again, Kakashi." Zabuza said, furrowing his brow.

Naruto panted as he sprinted back towards Kakashi-sensei and the others as the mist cleared.

"_!_!" He gasped in alarm, stopping short when he saw what the bloody scene that was waiting for him. His eyes widened in shock. 'Wha… What's going on here?'

"Is that the masked boy?" Tazuna wondered aloud.

'He jumped in to protect Zabuza…' Kakashi thought. To be able to intercept the Lightning Blade like that… This kid really was something else.

'So, that's what he decided to do…' April thought, furrowing her brow, as she bowed her head. That boy, Haku… He was too kind.

"… Hehe… Great job… Haku." Zabuza said after a moment of silence had passed.

"!" Kakashi said, startled, when he tried to pull his arm back out and realized he couldn't. Haku had his arm trapped in a vice-like grip. Impossible…! Was he…? He looked into the boy's eyes. No, it was just as he had assumed. 'This boy… is already dead.' He thought as Zabuza began to swing his sword.

"Sensei_!_!_!_" April shouted urgently. Kakashi frowned as the crease in his brow deepened. 'He plans to cut through both of us_!_!'

"_!_!" Tazuna gasped in alarm.

"Kakashi-sensei_!_!" Sakura yelled. Zabuza furrowed his brow as the memory of a younger Haku asking to stay by his side as a tool the night he had to flee the Land of Water flashed through his mind.

"I sure picked up something useful_!_!_!"_ He shouted. "Giving me this final chance_!_!_!_" Naruto grit his teeth in anger as Zabuza swung his blade, intending to cut down Kakashi and Haku's body in one blow. But before that could happen, Kakashi wrapped his free arm around Haku's body and jumped back, dodging the attack.

"Hehe… With Haku dead, you can move…" Zabuza observed as Kakashi took a moment to finally wrench his hand free.

'Unforgiveable…' Naruto thought, trembling with anger over the way Zabuza was acting after Haku's selfless sacrifice.

"Naruto! Stay there…" Kakashi ordered firmly, as if he already knew what he was thinking.

"!" Naruto said, surprised. He watched as Kakashi reached down and slid Haku's blank eyes shut with care.

"This is my fight." Kakashi stated, glaring fiercely at Zabuza.

'Sensei's really angry…' April thought, biting her lip, as she clenched her fist. She was, too. But there was something strange about Zabuza's movements…

"!" Sakura gasped when she noticed Naruto. "Naruto_!_!_!_ You're alright_!_!" She said excitedly.

'Sakura-chan…' Naruto thought. What should he…?

"Huh? What about Sasuke-kun?" She asked, wondering why he wasn't with Naruto. "Where's April-chan?" Kakashi glanced up at that and followed Sakura's gaze as she looked beyond Naruto. They could just make out April's purple hair in the distance, but… "Naruto_!_! Where is Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_?" Sakura demanded, starting to panic.

"_!_!" Naruto flinched guiltily. "…" Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and looked away. He didn't know what to say. How could he tell her that… that Sasuke…_!_!

"?" Sakura said, shocked and confused. No way… why wouldn't he look at her? Sasuke couldn't be…

"…" April looked down she wasn't sure what to say either. They were all worried about Sakura. "… He's here." April said somberly. From the look on her face, Sakura was beginning to understand even without them saying anything.

"Kakashi! This is no time for sightseeing_!_!" Zabuza shouted as he lunged at the distracted jōnin.

"_!_!" Kakashi quickly planted his hands firmly on the ground and kicked out at his assailant, nailing Zabuza in the gut before he had a chance to swing his blade.

"Guff!" Zabuza grunted in pain as he was knocked backwards.

"!" Tazuna said, concerned when he noticed that Sakura was shaking. "I'll go with you." He told her. "Then you won't be breaking your sensei's order."

"…" Sakura reached up and took his hand. "Ok." She said quietly. Naruto lowered his head and clenched his fists as they ran past him, wishing he could do more… He wished he could bring Sasuke back for her. As they drew closer, they could see that Sasuke was lying on the ground. His body had been pierced all over by many needles.

"_!_!" Tazuna gasped as he and Sakura stared down at Sasuke in shock. He didn't look like he was breathing. She leaned down and gently reached out to touch his face.

"… I'm sorry, Sakura…" April apologized genuinely as she joined them and shifted herself into a kneeling position near Sasuke's body, wishing she could have done more to prevent this. Since she barely had enough energy left to move, she had to crawl over.

"He's cold…" She said, furrowing her brow as she tried to fight back the tears she could feel coming. "This… isn't an illusion…"

"Don't mind me…" Tazuna said solemnly. "It's best to let it out and cry…"

I… always scored 100% on the ninja academy exams…" Sakura said quietly, surprising him. "I memorized over 100 shinobi sayings… I always wrote the correct answers… On one day's test, this question appeared… 'Write down shinobi saying #25'…" She sniffed. "I wrote down the correct answer as usual… 'No matter what the situation… a shinobi must keep their emotions on the inside… You must make the mission your top priority… And you must possess a heart that never shows tears'…" She finished, biting her lip, her as her tears began to flow uncontrollably, dripping onto Sasuke's face. "UUUU_!_!" She sobbed as she held onto Sasuke's cold body. "UUUU_!_!"

"…" April looked down sadly and gently placed a hand on Sakura's head, stroking her hair, in an attempt to comfort her bawling teammate. She only cried harder.

'So this is the way of the shinobi…' Tazuna thought grimly as he watched the young girls mourn their fallen teammate. 'It's too harsh…'

"Sasuke-kun… UUWAAAH_!_!" Sakura wailed miserably. Naruto clutched at his chest when he heard her cries, trembling, as he fought to suppress his own tears.

"… Sakura-chan…" April said gently. "I don't know if this will work, but… there's something I'd like to try... and I'll need your help to do it." She didn't want to get Sakura's hopes up by saying too much, but… If there was even the smallest chance, then maybe…

"!" Tazuna said as he and Sakura both glanced at her in surprise.

"Wha… What is it?" Sakura asked, staring at her with teary eyes. She didn't know what April was talking about, but she looked like she might know something… "What do I have to do…?"


	29. Chapter28: A Tool Called Shinobi

**Previously:**

_"Sasuke-kun… UUWAAAH!_!_" Sakura wailed miserably. Naruto clutched at his chest when he heard her cries, trembling, as he fought to suppress his own tears._

_"… Sakura-chan…" April said gently. "I don't know if this will work, but… there's something I'd like to try... and I'll need your help to do it." She didn't want to get Sakura's hopes up by saying too much, but… If there was even the smallest chance, then maybe…_

_"!" Tazuna said as he and Sakura both glanced at her in surprise._

_"Wha… What is it?" Sakura asked, staring at her with teary eyes. She didn't know what April was talking about, but she looked like she might know something… "What do I have to do…?"_

* * *

**Chapter 28: A Tool Called Shinobi**

* * *

"Why… Why can't I keep up with him…?" Zabuza wondered aloud, panting. He glared at Kakashi, who had just managed to stab a couple of kunais in his arm while simultaneously avoiding his attack. Why was that copy bastard still able to move around so well? "Damn it_!_!" He yelled, charging in again as he gripped his sword with his good hand.

_WHAM!_

Before Zabuza could land a scratch on him, Kakashi beat the missing-nin back with a simple backhanded punch.

"UGH! _RAAA!_!" Zabuza roared furiously as he quickly braced himself and swung his blade.

CRASH!

Kakashi easily sidestepped the attack and disappeared in a flash, reappearing just behind Zabuza as the blade smashed into the concrete where he had just been standing only half a second ago. He placed a hand on the back of Zabuza's neck.

"_!_!" Zabuza gasped, startled when he felt the firm grip of his enemy's hand.

"You can't beat me in your current state." Kakashi told him coolly.

"What_!_?" Zabuza exclaimed, sweating nervously.

"You haven't noticed…?" Kakashi asked, furrowing his brow. Ever since Haku's death, his movements had become more erratic and less controlled.

"Alright, that's good, Sakura-chan." April said as she watched her carefully remove the last needle in Sasuke's neck just like how she had described. "Now we need to elevate his legs. We can prop his feet up in my lap." She said, scooting over into position, while Sakura began lifting his legs for her. "Keep his knees a little bent. We don't want them locking up. Good."

"Now… Now what?" Sakura asked anxiously, starting to get nervous again. Sasuke still wasn't waking up.

"Now, we wait…" April said, biting her lip nervously. She hoped she was right about this. "If this works, we'll know in a few minutes…" Holding onto his legs, his skin still felt cold to the touch. "We need to warm him up more. Sakura-chan, can you try sharing some of your body heat with him?"

"Eh_!_?" Sakura said, blushing.

"Just lay next to him, or something. His body temperature is too low from being surrounded by all that ice." April explained calmly. "But be careful of the needles we had to leave in. We don't want to aggravate his wounds…"

"O-Oh, Okay…" Sakura agreed, nodding her head in understanding as she moved into position, laying down next to Sasuke. Her blush deepened as she tried putting one of her arms around him.

"Uhm… What is exactly is it that you're trying to do?" Tazuna asked.

"Well… Remember how Haku used these needles to put Zabuza in a state of temporary death before?" April asked, furrowing her brow. "… I'm hoping he did the same for Sasuke-kun."

"_!_!" Tazuna and Sakura gasped. Of course… If that was the case, then there still might be a chance that Sasuke…_!_!

"My martial arts instructor had some training in acupuncture and other forms of traditional medicine. He said it was dangerous for amateurs to mess around with, so he never taught me how to use the needles… but he did teach me a little about how to remove them and help someone recover in case of an emergency." April continued to explain. "What we're doing now is removing too much unwanted pressure from the vital points and encouraging the restoration of blood flow to the brain… hopefully that will be enough to bring him out of suspended animation, but…"

"But what?" Sakura asked. April bit her lip, looking troubled.

"Sakura…" She said seriously. "I need you to prepare yourself… for the chance that I might be wrong." Sakura stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry…" April apologized as the crease in her brow deepened. "But I just can't be sure… I'm not an expert, and even Kakashi-sensei was fooled by this technique…" It might already be too late.

"No…" Sakura said determinedly, tightening her grip on Sasuke's body. "No, I'm sure you're right, April_!_! I believe in you… and in Sasuke-kun_!_!" April allowed herself a small smile.

"Yeah… Sasuke-kun isn't the type to die so easily." April said. That's why they were doing this. "Thank you, Sakura."

Keeping his grip on the back of Zabuza's neck, Kakashi swiftly drew two kunai and spun them around on his fingers before tightening his grip on them, preparing to strike again.

"_!_!" Zabuza gasped in alarm.

"This is goodbye… Demon!" Kakashi said as he attacked.

"!" A vein throbbed on Zabuza's head as he strained to look over his shoulder while he forced his body to move, swinging his sword at his attacker. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly when he saw the attack coming and quickly changed plans, stabbing Zabuza in his good arm as he ducked.

"Ugh_!_!" Zabuza grunted in pain and frustration as the kunais pierced his muscles and his sword flew from his hand, while Kakashi got away unscathed.

"!" Naruto gasped as he watched. No way…

"Now both arms are useless." Kakashi stated calmly. "You can't even form a seal."

"Ergh…!" Zabuza groaned as blood dripped down his arms. Shit…_!_! This bastard…_!_!

THONK.

Both ninjas looked up at the sound of a cane taping against concrete.

"Ooh… You're getting your ass kicked. How disappointing…" A shady-looking little man in dark glasses and a business suit sneered. There was an assortment of armed thugs gathered behind him. "Zabuza."

"Gatō… Why are you here…? And what's with all these men_!_?" Zabuza asked, furrowing his brow.

'So he's…' Kakashi thought, narrowing his eyes slightly as he glanced at the corrupt businessman.

"Hehe. The plan has changed… Well, Actually, I planned to do this from the beginning." Gatō said ominously with a condescending laugh. "Zabuza, I'm going to have you killed here." Zabuza's eyes widened slightly.

"What?"

"I never planned on paying you any money. Hiring a normal ninja from a village is expensive, and they may betray me… So I get you missing-nins who are easy to take care of afterwards. I have the ninjas kill each other, and once they're weakened, I kill them off with numbers." Gatō explained with a smirk. "It doesn't cost me anything. Good plan, don't you think?"

'Geez, not only is he a mean bastard, but he's cheap too…' April thought with a frown, sweat-dropping. Why was his arm in cast? He didn't seem like the type to do enough of his own dirty work for something like that to happen… Was there some sort of freak accident while he was counting all the money he extorted?

"The only problem in the plan was you… Zabuza." Gatō sneered contemptuously. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist? What a joke, if you ask me… Hehe, you're just a cute little imp." He scoffed, earning a boisterous laugh from the rough men gathered behind him.

"We can easily kill you now_!_!" One of them boasted.

'Who are these guys?' Naruto wondered a bit nervously, furrowing his brow. 'So many of them…'

"Kakashi, I'm sorry…" Zabuza said calmly, surprising him. "This battle is over. Now that I have no reason to go after Tazuna, I have no reason to fight you."

"Huh?" Naruto said, confused by the sudden change of heart.

"Ah… You're right." Kakashi agreed, glancing between Zabuza and the horde of thugs in front of them.

"Oh, yeah…" Gatō said, stepping forward to stand over Haku's corpse. "I owe this one… you squeezed my arm until it broke…"

'So that's what happened to it…' April thought as she watched Gatō stare down at him. Good for Haku.

"Heh, he's dead." Gatō huffed as he gave the boy's corpse a harsh kick, disappointed he wasn't going to be able to enjoy taking his own revenge on him.

"What are you doing_!_!_?_ You bastard_!_!_!_" Naruto demanded furiously, clenching his fist as a vein throbbed on his forehead. He tired to rush forward to attack, but he was thankfully stopped by Kakashi-sensei.

"Hey! Look at their numbers, don't just jump in!" Kakashi scolded Naruto as he yanked him back by the collar of his orange jacket. Naruto let out an odd sort of strangled sound, but quickly recovered.

"You say something, too_!_!" He shouted at Zabuza. "Weren't you friends_!_?"

"Shut up, kid." Zabuza said coldly. "Haku is already dead."

"Wha…_!_!" Naruto gasped incredulously. "Don't you feel anything at all_!_!_?_ Weren't you two always together_!_!_?_"

"Like Gatō used me, I used Haku. That's all it was." Zabuza insisted, furrowing his brow. "I've already said it… In the world of shinobi there are only those who use and those who are used. We shinobi are only tools… What I wanted was his abilities, not him… I have no regrets."

"Hey… do you really mean that?" Naruto asked. April narrowed her eyes, but kept her cool. She knew she would just cause unnecessary trouble if she tried to rush the enemy in her current state. It was better for everyone if she stay focused on helping Sakura take care of Sasuke and Tazuna-san. Speaking of which, Sasuke should be waking up any moment now… Besides, there was something about the tension in Zabuza's voice and back that made her feel he wasn't being entirely honest with himself. Kakashi felt that as well.

"Stop it, Naruto." He said calmly, placing a hand on his student's shoulder. "We don't have to fight him anymore. Plus…!" Naruto abruptly shook him off.

"Shut up_!_! My enemy is still him_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted angrily, pointing at Zabuza. He was breathing hard as he glared up Zabuza, who stared back at Naruto out the corner of his eye.

"…" Kakashi furrowed his brow. He knew how Naruto felt, but…

"Who is this annoying kid?" Gatō asked.

"He… He really loved you_!_!_!_" Naruto continued to yell as he pointed at Haku's body, ignoring him. He loved you that much_!_!_!_" Zabuza was quiet as he looked away. "Do you really feel nothing_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded as tears began to form in his eyes for Haku. "Do you really… really feel not feel anything_!_!_?_" Zabuza remained silent. "If I become as strong as you… Will I really become like you_!_!_?_" Naruto asked as the tears started to fall. "He threw away his life for you_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled, squeezing his eyes shut as they streamed down his face. "Without his own dream… to die as a tool…" Naruto sniffed as his nose started to run. "That's… just too sad…" April could feel her own tears threatening to fall.

"… Kid…" Zabuza said in a low voice. Naruto opened his eyes and saw drops of something wet hit the concrete in front of Zabuza's feet. "You don't need to say any more…" Zabuza told him as more tears streamed down his sorrowful face. Naruto stared up at him, feeling stunned… but also a little relieved for Haku.

"…" Kakashi said as he continued to stare forward. He knew all too well how it felt to loose a precious comrade.

"Kid… It pained him to have to fight you… Haku fought not only for me… He fought for you guys as well…" Zabuza said, surprising Naruto. "He was too kind."

"Sakura…" Sasuke said weakly, barely above a whisper. April's and Sakura's eyes widened as they looked back at him, and his finally opened. "You're heavy…" Tazuna stared down at the revived boy in amazement as Sakura started to tremble and tears of relief formed in her eyes. April smiled and let out a deep sigh of relief. Thank God. It really worked… He really was still alive_!_!

"Yo! Welcome back to the land of the living." She greeted Sasuke with a cheeky grin as Sakura threw herself on him again.

"!" Sasuke flinched, looking startled and bewildered, but he didn't push her away.

"Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_ Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_ Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_" Sakura bawled tears of joy, holding him tight. She was beginning to think she might have lost him forever! "Waaaah_!_!"

'That's great, Sakura…' Tazuna thought with a relieved smile.

"Sakura… That hurts…" Sasuke groaned.

"Ah! S-Sorry…" Sakura apologized. She quickly loosened her grip, but didn't stop embracing him. Sasuke sweat-dropped. April smirked at the slight hint of blush she could see glowing on his cheeks. It was nice to see some color returning to his face.

"What about… Naruto…?" Sasuke asked as he tried to sit up without wincing. "And that… masked kid…?"

"Don't move_!_!" Both girls snapped urgently as they quickly moved to hold him down before he aggravated his injuries by moving too much.

"Naruto is fine! And that masked kid is dead…" Sakura informed him.

"_!_!" Sasuke gasped, shocked. Just what happened while he was out? He looked at April. "Dead…?" She nodded solemnly in confirmation. "Did Naruto kill him…?" The way he asked that kind of ticked her off a little, as if he didn't think she was capable of finishing the job herself.

"N-No… I'm not sure, but he protected Zabuza." Sakura said with a sideways glance at April, explaining as best as she could while wondering why April suddenly looked so annoyed.

"I didn't see the moment it happened too clearly, but it appears he sacrificed himself by jumping in front of Zabuza while Sensei was attacking." April added with a small pout, deciding she would give Sasuke a pop on the head later, once he had a chance to recover.

"… I see…" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow, as he looked down. So in the end, it was Kakashi who…

"I… had faith in you." Sakura told him with a soft, happy smile. "It's impressive that you prevented attacks to your critical areas_!_!" She said excitedly, exuding admiration.

"… No…" Sasuke said as the crease in his brow deepened. He lifted his gaze to share a knowing look with April. 'He… from the beginning…' She closed her eyes and nodded again. After a moment of silence, she raised her head and cupped her hands around her mouth. There was something very important that they hadn't done yet.

"Hey, Naruto_!_! Sensei_!_!" April yelled, getting their attention so she could let them know. "Sasuke's alright! He's alive_!_!"

"_!_!" Naruto gasped as he spun around to look, surprised.

"…" Sasuke made an effort to raise his hand as proof. He didn't say anything, but April could tell he was relieved to know that Naruto had survived too.

"…" Naruto said as he stared at them, stunned. April smiled reassuringly at him, knowing how worried he must have been. Naruto began to tremble slightly and let out a small laugh as tears of relief began to form in his eyes. He glanced back at Zabuza, remembering what he had just said about Haku being too kind. 'I see… He…' Naruto thought, feeling extremely grateful to Haku. He let Sasuke live on purpose.

'I've been worried, but… Sasuke is also all right. That's great." Kakashi said, also relieved.

"I'm glad I got to fight you guys in the end." Zabuza said, as he looked away. That was just like Haku… He didn't hold a grudge against the kids for surviving, but watching Kakashi's close relationship with his with his students, he felt a small pang of jealously. He should have done more for Haku while he had the chance… "Yeah, kid… you may be right…" He told Naruto.

"_!_?" Naruto said, taken aback. "Huh?" Right about what?

"A shinobi is still a human… We may not be able to become emotionless tools." Zabuza admitted. "I've lost…" Since he could no longer use his arms, he bit the bandages covering his mouth and somehow managed to rip them away. "Kid, let me borrow your kunai!"

"_!_!" Naruto gasped, surprised the sudden urgency in his voice. "Huh? Oh…" Naruto furrowed his brow as Zabuza's words sunk in. "Yeah." He agreed, tossing it to him. Zabuza caught the weapon with his pointy teeth and bit down, gripping it tightly in his mouth as he took off like shot, heading straight for Gatō.

"Wha…_!_!" Gatō shouted in alarm, quickly turning on his heels to run away. "That's enough, kill them_!_!" He shouted at the armed thugs.

"Yeah_!_! Sure thing!" They jeered as they stepped forward to protect their meal ticket. "One badly injured ninja against these numbers? Does he think he can win?" They all gasped, freezing in their tracks, as Zabuza continued to charge towards them without hesitation, startled by the wave of bloodlust that had just hit them. Was it their imaginations, or was the faint mist rising up behind him swirling into the form of some kind of vicious beast? 'A… A demon_!_!' They all cried internally as he reached them, startled by the ghostly apparition. Zabuza blitzed through the wall of men, kicking away and stabbing anyone who dared to get in his way. A few of the men managed to stab their swords into his back, but Zabuza kept going, charging forth unrelentingly.

"!" Gasped in alarm as the Demon of the Hidden Mist reached him and stabbed him the chest with the kunai in his teeth before he had a chance to even think about dodging.

"Die already_!_!" Some of the thugs yelled as they stabbed Zabuza in the back, trying to stop him before he could do any more damage.

"I… If you want to go where your friend is that badly… then go… by yourself…_!_!" Gatō coughed angrily as blood dripped down the side of his mouth.

"Unfortunately… I don't plan on going to the same place as Haku…" Zabuza told him.

"Wha… What?" Gatō said nervously. "You won't survive… Gah…!" He cried out in pain as Zabuza pushed the kunai in deeper.

"Heh. You and I together… are going to hell_!_!" The missing-nin declared. "Even the unremarkable Demon of the Hidden Mist… can die and become a real demon in hell…" He staggered back a coupled of steps, pulling out the kunai.

"Ugh_!_!" Gatō grunted in pain. "GAH_!_!" He yelled as Zabuza lunged forward again, slashing him.

"This will be fun_!_!" Zabuza laughed. "We'll have plenty of time to see if I'm just a cute little imp or not down in hell_!_!"

"_!_!" Gatō let out a strangled cry as the ninja spun around and attacked again, carving deep into his throat.

_"UWAAHH!_!" The thugs cried out in fear and alarm as Gatō's disembodied head sailed through the air and landed amongst them with a sickening smack. The men scrambled out of its path in a panic as it rolled along the ground.

'He… He cleaved a man's head off with just a kunai… using only his teeth_!_!' April thought as she stared at the gruesome scene before her with wide eyes, stunned. Naruto bit his lip nervously as he broke out in a cold sweat. No wonder people called him a 'demon'…

"…" Kakashi said as he closed both eyes for a moment, unsurprised. Having crossed blades with him, he knew better than any of them how absurdly strong Zabuza was. For a moment, Zabuza just stood askance next to Gatō's headless corpse. Blood was dripping onto the ground by his feet, running down his arms from the wounds on his back. He looked like some sort of macabre voodoo doll with all of those swords sticking out of him. Zabuza's eyes suddenly shot up from the blood pooling on the ground to glare at all the thugs.

"AHHHH_!_!_!_" The men shouted in alarm, reeling back in fear. But Zabuza was done. His body was ready to collapse. He staggered forward as he let the kunai drop from his mouth.

'This is goodbye, Haku… Thank you for everything…' Zabuza thought as he fell forward, crashing into the ground. 'I'm sorry…'


	30. Chapter29: Bridge of Heroes

**Previously:**

_'He… He cleaved a man's head off with just a kunai… using only his teeth!' April thought as she stared at the gruesome scene before her with wide eyes, stunned. Naruto bit his lip nervously as he broke out in a cold sweat. No wonder people called him a 'demon'…_

_"…" Kakashi said as he closed both eyes for a moment, unsurprised. Having crossed blades with him, he knew better than any of them how absurdly strong Zabuza was. For a moment, Zabuza just stood askance next to Gatō's headless corpse. Blood was dripping onto the ground by his feet, running down his arms from the wounds on his back. He looked like some sort of macabre voodoo doll with all of those swords sticking out of him. Zabuza's eyes suddenly shot up from the blood pooling on the ground to glare at all the thugs._

_"AHHHH!_!_!" The men shouted in alarm, reeling back in fear. But Zabuza was done. His body was ready to collapse. He staggered forward as he let the kunai drop from his mouth._

_'This is goodbye, Haku… Thank you for everything…' Zabuza thought as he fell forward, crashing into the ground. 'I'm sorry…'_

* * *

**Chapter 29: The Bridge of Heroes**

* * *

Everyone stared in astonishment at the body of the fallen missing-nin. Naruto closed his eyes and started to turn his head away, unable to watch anymore.

"Don't look away." Kakashi said firmly, watching the difficult scene with a steady gaze, determined to bear witness to the end out of respect for his enemy. "It's the end of a man who lived a difficult life." Naruto noticed April was also doing her best to keep watching.

"… Yeah…" Naruto said, clenching his fists as he turned back, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead this time.

KRANG! KRANG! KRANG!

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You guys really think you have time to be standing around like that_!_?" One of the thugs sneered rather obnoxiously as he beat the end of the metal pipe he was using as a club against the ground to make sure he had their undivided attention.

"!" Kakashi and the others said as they all turned their attention to the thugs.

"What's… going on?" Sasuke asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position while the girls were distracted. He furrowed his brow when he saw how many enemies they still had left to deal with.

"Damn ninjas… You killed out meal ticket…_!_!" Another thug shouted.

"You guys are dead_!_!" Another yelled.

"Now we're gonna pillage this city and take anything of value_!_!" The one with the pipe sneered.

"Yeah! Yeah!" The others jeered in agreement.

"Damn… This is bad." Kakashi said, furrowing his brow.

"Kakashi-sensei, don't you have a special jutsu to defeat them all_!_?" Naruto asked urgently.

"I can't… After the Lightning Blade, summoning, and Sharingan, I used too much chakra!" Kakashi answered regretfully, sparing a second to glance back at the others. April had also used up an incredible amount of chakra trying to break Haku's ice mirrors, and Sasuke was still heavily wounded. They were both struggling just to get back on their feet to face these new opponents.

"Let's begin_!_!_!_" The man with the pipe yelled as he lead the charge against the exhausted and injured ninjas. The thugs all let out enthusiastic shouts as they eagerly followed him, thinking overwhelming them would be easy now that they were so worn down.

_WOOSH._ TWANG!

"_!_!" The thugs gasped, stopping short when a small harpoon suddenly came flying out of nowhere, piercing the ground in front of them.

"_!_?" The others said as they risked taking their eyes off the thugs to look behind them for its source. Their eyes widened in surprise at what they saw. A huge crowd of armed men from the city had gathered behind them. Standing at the front was none other than Inari. It was him who had fired that warning shot.

"If you come any further onto our island… the citizens of this country will stop you with everything we've got_!_!" Giichi declared boldly at Inari's side, speaking on behalf of everyone present.

"… Inari… You…" Tazuna said, surprised and deeply touched. Tears began to form in his eyes. He had never been more proud of his grandson.

"Inari_!_!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

"Man… You've got great timing, kid!" April said with a wry grin.

"Hehe, a hero always shows up at the last second, right?" Inari quoted Naruto with a cheeky grin.

"Alright, I'm going to help out too_!_!" Naruto said, forming a hand seal. 'Shadow Clone Jutsu_!_!_!_' He thought, creating a handful of clones to up their numbers.

"Eh?" The thugs said, surprised.

'I can do that at least… It might fool them…' Kakashi thought, also forming the hand seal for that technique. 'Shadow Clone Jutsu_!_!_!_ Kakashi Version_!_!' Using the same amount of chakra as Naruto, the jōnin created almost five times as many clones.

"GAAAAH_!_!" The thugs exclaimed, alarmed by the rapid increase in enemies.

"So… You want some of this_!_?" Kakashi asked darkly as he and his clones narrowed their eyes in a dangerous glare.

"No, we don't_!_!" The thugs yelled as they turned tail and ran, scrambling to get back on their boat and leave as fast as humanly possible. "Let's get out of here_!_!"

"We did it_!_!" Inari and the other citizens cheered triumphantly as the villains sailed away, never to be seen again, while Kakashi and Naruto released their jutsu. April smiled brightly, relieved that everything had worked out so well. Everyone had managed to survive! Well, not everyone… Her smile faltered slightly as she watched Kakashi stand up and walk past Haku's corpse, making his way over to Zabuza, who was still lying face first on the ground.

"Looks like its over… Kakashi…" Zabuza commented weakly, just barely still alive.

"Yes…" Kakashi answered calmly.

"Kakashi… I have a request…" Zabuza said, causing Kakashi to pause as he raised his hand to pull his forehead protector back down.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I want… to see his face…" Zabuza said. He wanted to see Haku one last time before he died.

"…" Kakashi furrowed his brow slightly as he finished sliding his forehead protector down to cover his Sharingan. "Sure…" He agreed sympathetically. Kakashi kneeled down and removed all of the blades in Zabuza's back so he could turn him over and carry him to Haku. While he was doing this, something amazing happened.

"Huh?" Naruto said, glancing up at the sky when he felt something cold his nose.

"… It's snowing." April said, also looking up as a light flurry of flakes began to gently float down around them. It was beautiful.

"Snow at this time of year…?" One of the men from the city asked, stunned, as they all stared up at the sky in astonishment. It felt surreal.

'Haku… Are you crying…?' Zabuza wondered, watching the snow fall as Kakashi carried. Kakashi kneeled down and laid him on the ground beside Haku. "Thanks… Kakashi…" Kakashi nodded and moved back to give him some space so he could spend his final moments in peace. Zabuza turned his head to look at Haku's face. With his eyes closed, he almost looked as if he were just asleep. 'You have always been by my side… I'd like to be by your side at the end…' Zabuza thought as he raised a shaking hand to gently touch Haku's face. "If I could… I'd like to… go to the same place… as you…" Zabuza told him, using his final breath, as his eyes closed, and he joined Haku in death. A lone snowflake landed on the corner of one of Haku's closed eyes and melted, flowing down the side of his face like a tear.

"He… was born in a snowy village…" Naruto said sadly, sniffing as tears streamed heavily down his own face. April was having a hard time holding back tears of her own.

"I see…" Kakashi said solemnly. "He was a boy as pure as the snow…" 'You will be able to go… Zabuza…' He thought. 'Together…'

Once everything was over, the citizens quietly gathered up Zabuza and Haku and respectfully carried their bodies away to be prepared for burial. Even if they had started out as enemies, it was ultimately thanks to them that Gatō was dead. As Team 7 watched in silence, April finally felt safe enough to finally let her guard down and allowed herself to relax, collapsing into a sitting position on the ground.

"Eh? A-April_!_?" Naruto said worriedly, spinning around to check on her.

"Are you all right, April-chan?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"Hey, pull yourself together." Sasuke chided her with a small frown. He was heavily injured, yet he was still standing. At a glance, it appeared her only injuries were bleeding knuckles and sprained wrist.

"Geez, give me a break_!_!" April retorted with a tired sigh as she ran a hand through her hair, utterly exhausted. "Do you have any idea how much chakra I used up trying to save you guys? I'm totally running on empty here…"

"Ah_!_! That's right_!_!" Naruto exclaimed, hitting his hand against his palm as he suddenly remembered how she had been repeatedly hitting Haku's ice mirrors with increasingly strong punches of chakra ever since the beginning of the battle. "Hehe… She managed to break one even though your fire jutsu was completely useless_!_!" He reminded Sasuke, causing their angsty teammate to flinch a little.

"And after you were taken out, Naruto got so mad that he hit Haku hard enough to send him flying through one of his own mirrors, and the others shattered along with his concentration on the jutsu." April added with a sly smirk. It was Naruto's turn to flinch as his cheeks flushed a little out of embarrassment, chagrined that she would reveal how much he actually cared in front of that jerk.

"…_!_!" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow as he stared at them in disbelief. 'No way…' He thought, clenching his fist. In other words, even though Haku had died at Kakashi's hand… these two had actually managed to defeat him before that without him…? It was unbelievable. How could those two get that strong after just that one week of training?

"Hmm…" Kakashi said thoughtfully as he kneeled down and gave her a good once-over. There was already some bruising around her wrist, and it was starting to swell, so it was probably broken… but other than that, she should be back to normal after resting for a week or two. Since it looks like April-chan can't move, I guess it's time I returned the favor from the other day, huh?" He said with a wry smile as he scooped her up to give her a piggyback ride back to the house.

"!" April said, fighting furiously to suppress her blush as she clung to his back with her good hand.

"Huh? But aren't you tired from using your Sharingan, Sensei?" Naruto asked. "If you want, I can…" His offer to take over died in his throat when April whipped her head around and shot him a sharp look of warning not to interfere with her happiness. There's no way she was about to let this opportunity to get close to Kakashi-sensei slip through her fingers! Naruto sweat-dropped and quickly backed off. He didn't get what was going on, but her intensity was kind of scary…

"Well, this much should be fine…" Kakashi said with a wry smile, wondering why Naruto suddenly looked so nervous, since he hadn't caught the laser eyes April was making at the boy only a second ago. Although this battle had been much more intense for his students, he hadn't had to use the Sharingan as long this time… So, thankfully, it wasn't taking such an extreme toll on his body this time around. He felt April snuggle closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. She knew he wouldn't have offered if he couldn't handle it, so she was determined to take full advantage and enjoy it while it lasted.

—∞—

**2 Weeks Later…**

Kakashi watched with the boys as April and Sakura carefully placed some snacks and flowers on the graves of their enemies. With the bridge safely completed and Sasuke and April fully recovered, Team 7 had completed their mission and was ready to return home, so they had decided to visit Haku and Zabuza before leaving together to pay their respects. Well, most of them were being respectful. Naruto just couldn't resist trying to snag a dumpling from one of the offering plates.

"Ouch!" He winced as Sakura slapped his greedy little hand away.

"What are you doing_!_?" She demanded angrily with a vein throbbing on her forehead. "That's bad karma_!_!"

"Hehe…" Naruto laughed nervously, blushing slightly upon having been caught.

"If you're hungry, then you can eat these." April said, offering him some of the leftover orange-flavored cookies she had made since there wasn't enough room on the plates for all of them.

"No way_!_!" Naruto refused vehemently, rearing back away from her as if she had just offered him poison. "I can't trust you anymore_!_! Your cooking is nothing but lies_!_! You've been deceiving me this whole time_!_!" He declared dramatically with righteous fury. "I know you really put vegetables in there_!_! Inari told me he saw you_!_!" April deadpanned.

"Tch!" She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Damn… So, he'd finally discovered that she'd been secretly dosing him with hidden veggies this whole time to counteract his unbalanced diet… She was going to have to have a talk with Inari when they got back.

"Eh? There's vegetables in your sweets?" Sakura asked, surprised. "I couldn't tell at all…" Sasuke frowned slightly as he realized he hadn't noticed either. He had also been thoroughly deceived by April's skillful cooking.

"…" Kakashi said as he looked at their disappointed faces. Actually, he had noticed from the beginning thanks to his sharp senses, but she always made sure the flavors blended well together, and he had liked that her cooking was always on the more savory side since he'd never had much of sweet tooth himself. And Sakura should have noticed something was off when April told her she could eat her sweets while on a diet because they were low in sugar and fat but still gave the body a boost of energy after they were eaten.

"Oh, come on… Don't look at me like that!" April told her teammates with a frown, feeling chagrined. She refused to let herself feel guilty since it had been for their own good. Besides, it wasn't just the sweets, she did that with all of her cooking out of habit because her teacher had been a vegan, and she had noticed a long time ago that it gave her more stamina for training when she ate healthier. Naruto should count himself lucky that she was still a devoted omnivore who liked to indulge in some real meat and dairy on occasion. "To be fair, I never actually lied to any of you. I just omitted certain truths that you clearly weren't ready to hear yet… I mean, look at how you just reacted! You guys really think you're adults with that level of complaining over something so small? Naruto, if I had told you what was in them from the start, you never would have even given them a chance." Feeding him was like feeding a fussy toddler. "A Hokage who can't even make himself eat his vegetables would be pretty pathetic, don't you think_!_?" She scolded her younger friend, causing him to flinch in shock as he realized she was right.

"…" Sasuke and Sakura sweat-dropped while Kakashi smiled wryly. Rather than 'brother and sister', it felt more like they were watching an interaction between 'mother and child'.

"But…" Sakura said, deciding to change the subject. "Kakashi-sensei…"

"Hm?" Kakashi said, glancing at her.

"Were these two correct about ninjas?" She asked, voicing a concern that had been on all of their minds for the past two weeks.

"A shinobi aren't supposed to seek their reason to exist… It's important that they exist as a tool." Kakashi answered calmly, watching as their faces fell. It was a textbook answer. "That idea exists in Konoha, too."

"Is that really what it means to become a true ninja…?" April asked with a frown. That was super depressing. She had always viewed shinobi more as being ideally resilient and emotionally stable soldier-spies—like some super-badass Navy Seals or Marines who could mold chakra—you know, people who were willing to put their lives on the line and sacrifice themselves for their country, but were still viewed as a necessary existence and precious human resource by the people they were fighting to protect… To be told that they were just supposed to be emotionally repressed tools that could be thrown away the moment they weren't needed anymore really… April furrowed her brow, starting to get pissed just thinking about it. That kind of system really blowed! What jerk came up with that idea_!_? She knew it wasn't the Third, because that old man viewed everyone in the village as family.

"I kind of… don't like that…_!_!" Naruto said, also pouting in disappointment at their teacher's answer.

"You believe that, too?" Sasuke asked, glancing at Kakashi.

"Well, no… That's why shinobi unconsciously suffer from that idea." Kakashi admitted frankly after some thought. "Each and every ninja has to live while dealing with that issue… Just like Zabuza… and that boy…" They all stared solemnly at the two graves in silence.

'Yeah... It's unreasonable.' April thought with a frown. 'We can't selectively numb emotion. Numb the dark, and you numb the light, too. It's a lot healthier to let yourself feel everything as it comes. Emotions are energy. Repressing emotions blocks our energy, exhausting us or making us sick… Unexpressed emotions never really die. They're just buried alive until they resurface later in uglier ways. Besides, knowing our own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people…' She thought it was better to acknowledge what was really happening and let it out a little at a time instead of letting the pressure build up until the point where it would either crush you to death or erupt in a violent explosion…

"… Ok, I just decided_!_!" Naruto stated abruptly, getting everyone's attention. "I'm going to be a ninja in my own way_!_!" April's eye widened slightly for a second, but then she smiled, looking relieved.

"Right_!_!" She said, clenching her fist as a new wave of determination burned in her eyes. That's right, there's no point in getting all caught up and depressed about stuff that was beyond their control. "Who cares what anyone else says! I'm just gonna keep doing what I can and focus on being the best 'me' possible so that I won't have any regrets_!_!"

"!" Kakashi said as his eye widened slightly, a bit surprised by their sudden declarations.

"Yeah_!_!" Naruto said excitedly, glad to hear that they were on the same page. "Let's run straight down the path of our own ninja ways, where we won't have any regrets_!_!"

"Oh, well said_!_!" April praised Naruto, giving him a firm pat on the back. "When we get back, I'll treat you to some Ichiraku~!"

"Alright_!_!_!_" Naruto cheered, pumping his fist in the air. Kakashi smiled as he watched them. Something told him that whatever the future may bring, these two would be just fine.

–∞–

"Thanks to you, we've completed the bridge, but… this is super sad…" Tazuna said as he stood at the gates of the finished bridge with everyone to see them off.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi told him with a smile.

"Don't worry! We'll come visit you again one day!" Naruto promised with a grin, feeling a little happy that so many people had come.

"Yep!" April agreed with a smile. "After all, there's this great bridge we can use now." She added a bit cheekily.

"You… better…" Inari told them, trembling slightly as he bit his lip, clearly on the verge of tears.

"… Ergh!" Naruto bit his lip as his own eyes started to become a little misty. "Inari… You're sad, right? It's all right to cry!" He told his little friend with a forced grin, shaking from the effort of holding back his tears. "Cry…!" He added a bit more forcefully, earning himself an odd look from Sakura and wry smile from April.

"I'm not going to cry_!_!" Inari yelled back stubbornly, squeezing his eyes shut as snot started to drip from his nose. "But, Naruto, you can cry too_!_!"

"Fine…" Naruto said quietly as he abruptly turned away. "Later…"

"Ah!" Inari gasped, reaching out as he flinched in shock. In that instant, both boys let their guard down as their self-control reached its breaking point, and comical trails of thick tears began streaming from their eyes while their noses ran.

"Pft!" April had to clap a hand over her mouth to suppress an amused laugh as she watched. 'They're like twins…' She thought with an affectionate smile.

'Geez… This stubborn guy!' Sakura thought, sweat-dropping, as she eyed the long, nasty string of loose snot dangling out of Naruto's nose warily. He was_ so_ dead if the wind blew that thing onto her…

"That boy changed Inari's heart… And Inari changed the people's hearts…" Tazuna said as he and the rest of the citizens watched the ninjas walk away, using the bridge they had built to return to the mainland. "That boy gave us a bridge to 'hope' called 'courage'."

"Bridge, eh…?" Giichi said thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah… We still need to name this bridge."

"Oh, I forgot. But I have a super perfect name for this bridge." Tazuna said.

"Oh_!_?" The others said, surprised.

"What is it?" Giichi asked curiously.

"How about… 'The Great Naruto Bridge'?" Tazuna proposed with a grin.

"Hehe… That's a good name!" Tsunami said with a smile.

"Yay_!_! Let's get home fast so I can have April treat me to that ramen she promised while I catch up with Iruka-sensei_!_!" Naruto said excitedly. "Oh, yeah_!_! And I have to tell Konohamaru about my legendary feats_!_!"

"Ah, that reminds me!" April said, hitting the palm of her hand. "I promised Moegi-chan that I would teach her how to make some homemade fruit snacks with gelatin…"

"Gelatin?" Sakura asked, making a face. Wasn't that stuff pure fat?

"Yeah, it's a very misunderstood food. I know it looks and giggles like fat, but gelatin made from bone broth is actually very good for you. Not only is it low in carbs and high in protein, but eating healthy amounts of it can increase your energy, boost your mood, reduce inflammation, promote healing, and aid in digestion and weight loss." April explained upon seeing the skeptical look on her face. "It's also great for your joints, skin, and hair. And you can gain even more health benefits depending on what fruits or vegetables you use to flavor it. It's colorful and fun to eat, so it's a great snack for kids and adults alike."

"Oh, yeah! That was pretty good the last time you made it!" Naruto said. It was kind of cool how she used mold to make them look like shurikens. He had no idea it was so healthy… How did April know all this stuff?

"Wait, did you just say weight loss?" Sakura asked, suddenly perking up. That bit about improving your hair and skin sounded good, too.

"Yep. If you're interested, I can teach you too." April offered. While she was there, maybe she could talk Sakura into forming some healthier eating habits. It worried her whenever she heard the younger girl talk about her not eating because she was on 'diet'. She was only twelve, for crying out loud!

"Okay!" Sakura agreed excitedly. "And then…" She blushed a little as her gaze shifted over to Sasuke. "Sasuke, how about a date when we get back?"

"No thanks." Sasuke answered bluntly, turning her down without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"B-But…" Sakura stuttered as she flinched in shock.

"Hey, hey, how about me_!_?" Naruto asked her, jumping in to try to catch her on the rebound.

"No_!_! Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura snapped angrily, giving him a hard whack on the head.

'Nice try, though…' April thought, sweat-dropping, as she watched the two of them continue to squabble with each other. Kakashi smiled wryly and let out a sigh at his students' antics. It was nice to see them so energetic, but… This was going to be a long walk home…

"You sure about that name?" Giichi asked as he and few of the other citizens sweat-dropped.

"Hehe… This name is in hope that this bridge will never crumble… and will one day become a super famous bridge whose name is known throughout the world…" Tazuna explained with a smile. Just like the boy it was named after.


	31. Chapter30: Crush

**Chapter 30: Crush**

* * *

April let out a yawn as she shut her front door behind her. The sun was just beginning to peek over the top of the Hokage monument. April smiled as she stretched. Everything was always so quiet and peaceful at this time, it almost felt as if she had the whole village to herself. As she straightened up, April pulled her iPod out of her pocket and started one of her favorite exercise playlists. As she put in the earbuds, the slow intro for _Can't Hold us_ by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis filled her ears. She closed her eyes and took a breath, bending her knees as she prepared to begin. The moment the rhythm of the song picked up and the beat kicked in, she took off like a shot, jumping up onto the railing and kicking off, using like a springboard to leap onto the roof of the neighboring building.

_Return of the Mack, get up!  
What it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't.  
Looking for a better way to get up out of bed  
Instead of getting on the Internet and checking a new hit  
Get up! Fresh out, pimp strut walking, little bit of humble, little bit of cautious  
Somewhere between like Rocky and Cosby. Sweater gang, nope, nope y'all can't copy  
Yup. Bad, moon walking, this here is our party, my posse's been on Broadway,  
And we did it our way._

April grinned, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair as she ran and jumped to the rhythm of Macklemore's rap, matching the movement of her feet to the speed of the lyrics.

_Grown music, I shed my skin and put my bones into everything I record to it  
And yet I'm on.  
Let that stage light go and shine on down,  
Got that Bob Barker suit game and plinko in my style.  
Money, stay on my craft and stick around for those pounds,  
But I do that to pass the torch and put on for my town  
Trust me. On my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit hustler,  
Chasing dreams since I was fourteen with the four track bussing  
Halfway cross that city with the backpack, fat cat, crushing_

April waved to the some of the shopkeepers below, who were coming in to set up for the day as she passed, on her descent towards the ground.

_Labels out here,  
Now they can't tell me nothing  
We give that to the people,  
Spread it across the country  
Labels out here,  
Now they can't tell me nothing  
We give it to the people,  
Spread it across the country_

Her feet hit the street as the refrain began, and she smiled as she unconsciously sang along, racing towards the rising sun.

_Can we go back, this is the moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over  
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us  
Can we go back, this is the moment  
Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over  
So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us  
Like the ceiling can't hold us…_

–∞–

Several songs later, April was cheerfully humming along to Abba's _Take A Chance On Me,_ when she found herself approaching the cemetery. She immediately skidded to a halt when a familiar flash of silver caught her attention out the corner of her eye.

'Time to take a chance of my own…' She thought with a Cheshire cat grin as she headed in. "Morning, Kakashi-sensei!" April called out pleasantly as she removed her earbuds and made a beeline for the jōnin.

"Oh, April-chan… You're up early." Kakashi remarked as he turned to face her, a little surprised to see her running around the outskirts of the village at that time of the morning. She still had another week to go before she could get the cast on her wrist removed, but she obviously wasn't letting that slow her down at all.

"You, too, Sensei." April replied with a smile. She noticed there were fresh flowers in the vases for the grave he that he had been standing in front of. "I'm sorry, were you visiting someone?"

"Hm?" He said, following her gaze to back Rin's grave. "Oh, yes. I was just saying hi to an old friend…" He replied with a wan smile and a soft look in his eyes as he stared at the grave.

"… The friend whose name is on the memorial stone?" April asked carefully. She was curious, but she didn't want to intrude… It seemed like a sensitive subject for him.

"No, this one's different… Her name is Rin. My other friend's name was Obito… But the three of us were all on the same team, just like you, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are now." Kakashi said after a moment, deciding it was probably all right to tell her. "Rin was a sweet and friendly girl who cared deeply for her comrades and the village. She was always looking after Obito and taking care of him the same way you do with Naruto…" Both girls were devoted to their comrades, perceptive under pressure, and had strong wills. "… The two of you are a lot alike." He told her with a small smile as he placed a hand on her head, though it was a bit lopsided, showing just how difficult it was for him to talk about his late teammates, even now. After all, it was his fault that Rin…

"… Sensei." April said, furrowing her brow slightly. Kakashi was a bit taken aback when he saw the troubled expression on her face. "I'm sure Rin-san was a wonderful girl, but… I'm not her. I'm my own person. Please look at me properly." She requested seriously. She didn't like the way he was looking at her, like she was the ghost of someone else…

"!" Kakashi's eye slightly widened slightly as he stared down at her. That's right… the one in front of him now wasn't Rin, but April. "… You're right… I'm sorry." He apologized, removing his hand. The atmosphere was uncomfortably heavy as the two of them stood there in silence.

"W-Well… I'd better get going, or I won't have time to take a shower before the team meeting! Later_!_!" April said awkwardly with a forced smile, excusing her with a little wave before darting off in a bit of a panic without waiting to hear his answer, not knowing what else to do.

'Ah, what a disaster…_!_!' April cried internally as she ran away. 'The first time he opens up to you about something, and you tell him off… You're the worst, April_!_!' She scolded herself. She was actually really happy that he had wanted to share something about himself with her, since he was normally so secretive, but she didn't want to be treated like someone else's replacement… Rin was obviously still very important to him. He had said they were teammates, but was that all? Whatever had happened between the two of them in the past had obviously affected her sensei very deeply…

"…" Kakashi scratched his head as he watched her go and let out a sigh. "Looks like I messed up..."

–∞–

April let out a heavy sigh as she waited for him to arrive later on with the others, still feeling a little down.

"Damn it_!_! Why is Kakashi-sensei always so late_!_?" Naruto exclaimed in annoyance. You knew it was bad, when even April started sighing!

"Hey, everyone!" Kakashi greeted them nonchalantly with a smile when he finally showed up. "A black cat crossed my path, so—"

"You've already used that excuse_!_!_!_" Naruto and Sakura snapped impatiently with veins throbbing on their foreheads. Sasuke noticed that April still seemed uncharacteristically quiet, even though she would usually perk up as soon Kakashi arrived.

Their first mission of the day was to help out on a farm.

"This is too easy_!_!" Naruto complained as he cleaned out the stables with the girls. "We've already done one A-rank level mission, so why do they keep giving us these stupid D-rank ones_!_?"

"Shut up, Naruto_!_! You're whining is getting annoying!" Sakura scolded him. Having to rake manure with him was bad enough already… She really wished Kakashi-sensei had taken her along with him and Sasuke to catch the fox that kept breaking into the henhouse. April let out another sigh while she fed the horses. "Are you all right, April-chan?" Sakura asked, noticing that she seemed unusually upset.

"Hm?" Naruto said, glancing over at her. He furrowed his brow slightly. Now that she mentioned it, April had been acting kind of strange today… "You coming down with something?"

"… I guess you could say that…" April mumbled under her breath. Love sickness could count as an illness, right? "Actually, I was just thinking about how little we actually know about Kakashi-sensei…"

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, blinking.

"!" Sakura said, surprised. 'Wait a minute, that look in her eyes… Don't tell me she's…_!_!"

"Oh, are you the ninjas my father hired?" A cute boy, who looked like he was around sixteen-years-old, asked curiously as he led another horse into the stable, getting their attention.

"Yes, is there something we can help you with?" April asked with a polite smile.

"Heh, you're pretty cute~!" The farmer's son said with an appreciative smile as he eyed her up and down. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No…" She answered a bit warily.

"Would you like one?" He asked with a charming smirk, causing Naruto and Sakura to flinch in shock at his boldness, blushing a little on April's behalf. Was he serious_!_? He was almost as good-looking as Sasuke!

"I appreciate the offer, but I already have someone I like…" April refused with a wry smile, trying to be as polite as possible without hurting his feelings.

"That's okay, I'm sure I can make you like me better!" The farmer's son stated confidently with a winning smile.

"… And right now I just want to focus on my career, so _please_ give up." She finished bluntly with a brilliant shit-eating grin, quickly realizing he was the annoying type who didn't know how to take 'no' for an answer until you shoved it in their face.

"Don't worry, that fox won't be a problem anymore. We'll take your leave as soon as the others have finished cleaning the stables." Kakashi was telling the farmer as they approached the stable to collect the rest of his students, when the farmer's son came out with his head hung low, looking rather dejected.

'Hm? I wonder what's the matter with Hitoshi…?' The Farmer wondered. "Ah, thank you, Sensei!" He said aloud, bowing to the ninja to show his gratitude before going after his son to see what was wrong.

"He was so cute, it seems like a waste…" Kakashi and Sasuke heard Sakura say as they entered the stable. "Though he can't compare to Sasuke-kun~!" She gushed with dreamy smile, causing April and Naruto to sweat-drop.

"Oh? Did something happen while we were gone?" Kakashi asked curiously with a smile, alerting them to their presence.

"!" April said as her cheeks flushed a little out of embarrassment, wondering how much he had heard.

"Hey, hey_!_! Listen to this_!_!" Naruto said excitedly with a smirk. "While you guys were gone, April got confessed to by the farmer's son_!_!"

"It was so surprising! But you could've gone on at least one date with him." Sakura told her. " Rejecting a boy because you want to focus on your career… at this rate, you'll never get a boyfriend." She chided the older girl.

'Ah, so that's why…' Sasuke and Kakashi thought, remembering how dejected the boy had looked as he left. She turned him down.

"Well, I didn't seem right to lead him on…" April answered wryly as she scratched her cheek, feeling a little chagrined that they were still talking about this in front of Kakashi-sensei. Wouldn't it be kind of cruel to make him think he might have a chance, when he really didn't? "And for your information, I _have_ had a boyfriend before."

"Eehhh_!_?" Naruto and Sakura shouted in surprise, gaping at her.

"When?" Sasuke asked with an expression of blatant disbelief on his face. During the whole time since she'd started living in the village, they had never once seen her with any guy other than Naruto.

"While I was still living in my homeland." April deadpanned with a vein throbbing on her forehead. Did they think she was that incapable of attracting the opposite sex? She could be super hot when she wanted to be! Although, it was true that most guys back in her world tended to avoid her like the plague once they realized just how easily she could kick their asses without even breaking a sweat…

"…" Kakashi wasn't as surprised as the others, but… the idea of April being with another guy… for some reason, it bothered him much more than it should have.


	32. Chapter31: Gotta Know!

**Previously:**

_"Eehhh!_?_" Naruto and Sakura shouted in surprise, gaping at her._

_"When?" Sasuke asked with an expression of blatant disbelief on his face. During the whole time since she'd started living in the village, they had never once seen her with any guy other than Naruto._

_"While I was still living in my homeland." April deadpanned with a vein throbbing on her forehead. Did they think she was that incapable of attracting the opposite sex? She could be super hot when she wanted to be! Although, it was true that most guys back in her world tended to avoid her like the plague once they realized just how easily she could kick their asses without even breaking a sweat…_

_"…" Kakashi wasn't as surprised as the others, but… the idea of April being with another guy… for some reason, it bothered him much more than it should have._

* * *

**Chapter 31: Gotta Know!  
**

* * *

"Hmm…" Naruto furrowed his brow. Something April said earlier had been bugging him the whole way home. They really _didn't_ know anything about Kakashi-sensei… For starters, they didn't even know what that face of his looked like, since he was always hiding it behind that mask… They had lived together for three whole weeks at Tazuna-san's house, and somehow they _still_ hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of it! "Hey, don't you want to see it?" Naruto he asked his teammates as soon as the mysterious teacher in question had left to turn in the mission report. "I think it's about time…"

"See what?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his brow in annoyance as they all glanced back at him, wondering what he was going on about.

"What? Isn't it obvious?" Naruto said disdainfully, as if it should have been. "Kakashi-sensei's… real face_!_!" He exclaimed, pulling out a flashlight and clicking it on to illuminate his face in a really dramatic and creepy way as he leaned in close to the girls. Unfortunately, this really backfired on him, because Sakura was so startled that she whacked him upside the head.

"What do you think you're doing_!_?" She demanded incredulously as a vein throbbed on her forehead.

"Naruto…" April said, clasping his hands in hers. "I really like the way you think_!_!" She told him with a serious gleam in her eye, looking totally fired up. She was really curious about that as well!

"Hmph. Ridiculous." Sasuke huffed as he turned away. "I'm not interested. We've finished our mission for today, so let's go home." He said coolly as he started to walk away without so much as a backward glance.

"Hehe, you're right!" Sakura agreed with him, blushing slightly as she smiled, though it looked a little forced. 'Eh? It seems so interesting, too…' She thought, disappointed that he wasn't going to participate.

"Maybe he has thick lips?" Naruto suggested behind his hand, loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

"!" Sasuke froze mid step as an image of Kakashi with a huge pair of blimp lips flashed in his mind.

'He's totally wavering…' April thought with a wry smile, sweat-dropping. She was pretty sure Kakashi-sensei had a normal face, though… At least, that's what she was hoping…

'Just a little more…' Naruto thought with a smirk. "Or maybe he has buckteeth?" He said aloud. Sasuke went stiff, bristling slightly, as he was hit by an image of Kakashi with a pair of comically huge buckteeth sticking out of his mouth. A devious grin spread across Naruto's face. _Got him_.

–∞–

"But it's really unusual…" Kakashi remarked as the five of them sat at the bar of Ichiraku, waiting to be served. "For all four of you to treat me." For some reason, his students had waylaid him on his way out of the Hokage's office and insisted on dragging him over there. "What's the occasion?" He asked. "It's not going to snow or something, is it? Come on, you guys are scheming something, right?" Did they think he was born yesterday?

"!" Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura flinched a little in surprise, but April kept her cool. She had expected he might react that way, since it really was unusual.

"W-What are you talking about_!_?" Naruto stammered nervously.

"Please, Sensei! You're always looking out for us, so we thought we'd do something nice for you, too." April said smoothly with a nice smile plastered on her face, the very picture of innocence.

'How frightening…' Naruto and Sasuke thought as they watched. There wasn't a hint of guilt of deception on her face or in her voice. Girls were kind of scary… Who knew April could be so duplicitous?

"Th-That's right!" Sakura said, recovering quickly. 'Nice one, April-chan!' She thought. "Eat up, Sensei!"

"I see." Kakashi said. With the others acting so nervous, April was looking a little _too_ innocent over there, but if they insisted… "Then, I think I will." The aroma of the cooking food was mouthwatering.

"Here you go." Teuchi said as he set Kakashi's order down in front of him. It looked just as delicious as it smelled.

"The extra meat is on the house." His daughter Ayame added with a smile. Naruto, April, Sakura, and Sasuke all kept their eyes peeled as they watched their teacher reach for the chopsticks out the corners of their eyes, doing their best to feign disinterest as they waited with bated breath for him to remove his mask to eat. The moment of truth had finally come! Their hearts were pounding in their ears as he reached for his mask.

"Mmm… Itadakimasu." He said, about to pull it down, when Team 10 suddenly jumped in between them, completely blocking their view.

"Ah! Sasuke-kun! What a coincidence~!" Ino exclaimed brightly as she took advantage of the situation to put an arm around him, while all the members of Team 7 flinched in shock.

"GAAAH_!_!" Naruto and Sakura shouted incredulously while April's head hit the bar with a heavy thud.

'Dammit, Sasuke…_!_!' April thought, clenching her fists, as she cursed his unreasonable popularity. She _knew_ she should have made him sit on the other end! "Don't get in our way_!_!" She hissed dangerously, keeping her voice low so Kakashi wouldn't hear. Normally she wouldn't mind a visit from the others, but today…_!_!

"Get lost, Ino-pig_!_!" Sakura snapped angrily.

"What did you say_!_?" Ino snapped back with a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"Move_!_!" Naruto shouted at them. "I can't see anything_!_!" They all froze as Kakashi let out a sigh of satisfaction upon finishing his meal.

"Thanks for the food. That was good." He said with his mask already back in place.

"So fast_!_!" April and the others exclaimed, stunned. What did he do, inhale it_!_?

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked, glancing at them.

"Ahaha… I-It's nothing!" Sakura said nervously as they all quickly forced smiles onto their faces to cover up their disappointment.

"Huh?" Naruto said when he noticed something was a bit odd about the two behind the counter. The other's followed his gaze.

"!" They gasped, taken aback by what they were seeing. Ayame's eyes were heart-shaped, and both she _and_ her father were blushing as they stared at Kakashi in daze.

'E-Even old man Teuchi_!_!_?_" Naruto thought, shocked.

'Damn it! All we're doing is increasing my competition_!_!' April realized, startled.

"Huh?" Kakashi said, sweat-dropping, when he his students' gaze and noticed the enamored ramen makers. Oh, great. Not this again…

"Okay, now we _really_ want to know!" All four kids decided, more determined than ever to see their teacher's real face for themselves.

–∞–

"Now I want to see it no matter what_!_!" Naruto declared once they were on their own again.

"You said it, Naruto_!_!" April agreed heartily, clenching her fist determinedly. "We can't afford any more failures_!_!"

"But how are you going to catch a glimpse of it?" Sakura asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll just have to… do something about it_!_!" Naruto said dramatically, pulling out the flashlight again.

"It's this 'something' that I'm asking about, you idiot_!_!" Sakura snapped, whacking him on the head again. April smiled wryly and sweat-dropped as she watched. He never learned…

"Nng… Then, do _you_ have an idea, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked while rubbing his sore noggin. He could already feel a huge bump forming.

"Well, that's…" Sakura said hesitantly, reeling back a bit as she realized she didn't know what to do either.

"… We could always try asking nicely?" April suggested tentatively. She was starting to get the feeling that the direct approach might be best. After all, they were up against a jōnin who's copied over a thousand jutsu...

"No way!" Naruto and Sakura both answered bluntly, immediately shooting down the idea and shooing it away with a wave of their hands. As if something that simple would ever work!

"That's way too soft, April_!_! Are you really serious about this_!_?" Naruto asked the older girl sternly, causing her to sweat-drop.

"We'll pursue him." Sasuke stated decisively, getting their attention. "Mark him completely."

"I see, if we do that… He'll have to take his mask off eventually." April said, impressed by his plan's simplicity. Maybe she had just been overthinking things again. She tended to do that sometimes.

"As expected of Sasuke-kun! You're so smart!" Sakura praised him with a cute smile.

"What the hell? That's such a basic plan." Naruto grumbled, disgruntled that Sasuke had stolen the spotlight once again.

"What did you say_!_?" Sakura demanded, making a fist, as she whipped her head around and shot him a dangerous warning glare.

"Well, I guess it's fine…" Naruto said a bit meekly, deciding it wasn't worth dying over.

"Yep, sometimes it's best to go back to the basics when you're stuck." April agreed with a smile. The plan was so simple, it just might actually work!

–∞–

Kakashi was humming quietly to himself as he casually strolled down the street with a bag of groceries. He stopped abruptly when he spotted something out the corner of his eye that caught his attention and promptly dropped the fresh groceries like a sack of rotten potatoes as he pressed his face to the glass of the display window for the _Pink Bookstore_, a shop that specialized in adult entertainment.

"…" April sweat-dropped as she watched with her teammates from above while their sensei laughed giddily like a kid in a candy store while he looked at all the different new titles that were out. 'Sensei…' She thought wryly as her cheeks flushed a little, feeling embarrassed for him. He looked like a hungry dog drooling outside of a butcher's shop… Was reading those things really that fun?

"What is Kakashi-sensei doing?" Naruto asked as they all furrowed their brows with emotions that ranged from confusion to disdain.

"I'm so disappointed." Sakura said, narrowing her eyes in disapproval.

"!" Kakashi suddenly whipped his head around, looking straight at them.

"_!_!" The kids all gasped, quickly ducking out of sight.

"Tch! He's noticed us!" Sasuke whispered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Naruto, you idiot! You blew our cover!" Sakura whisper-yelled angrily.

"What? Why is it my fault_!_?" Naruto whisper-yelled back incredulously.

"Shh…_!_!" April quietly hushed them. They shouldn't be talking at all!

"What_!_? My favorite book is being made into a movie_!_?" Kakashi exclaimed excitedly as he stared up at the giant billboard they were hiding behind, which just so happened to be an ad for a theatrical version of Jiraiya-sensei's _Make-Out Violence_. "I'm going to order tickets in advance!" He said as he quickly gathered grabbed his bag of groceries and scurried off in a hurry.

"He's started moving again!" Sakura said as they carefully peeked out from behind the sign.

"If we aren't careful, we'll lose him!" April said, furrowing her brow.

"Let's follow him." Sasuke said, taking the lead.

"Yeah!" Naruto said, determined not to let him get away. The four of them quickly leaped down and dashed around the corner after their perverted sensei.

"He's gone!" Sakura gasped as they all skidded to a stop, surprised to find the street completely deserted.

"Damn, he got away." Sasuke said, furrowing his brow in irritation.

"Oh man, he's totally onto us!" April said, disappointed.

"Damn it! Where did he go?" Naruto asked, frowning.

"Well…" April said thoughtfully. "He said something about a movie, so—"

"What are you three doing?" Kakashi asked calmly as he suddenly popped up right behind his students, scaring the living daylights out of them. "Do you want something from me?"

"No, not really…!" They all blurted out nervously, shaking their heads emphatically.

"Hmm…" Kakashi said, staring rather jadedly at the four of them in disbelief.

"We just thought it might be good to train together once in awhile, so we tried shadowing your movements for a bit…" April said a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck, while the others flinched in shock at her admission.

"Oh, is that so?" Kakashi asked, eyeing them carefully. From the looks on the others' faces, she was telling the truth… but he didn't think April was the type to give in so easily. "Well, keep up the good work." He said as turned and swiftly disappeared, deciding to let them off for now. At least they all seemed to be getting along for once.

"April_!_!_!_ How could you_!_!_?"_ Naruto demanded incredulously, feeling immensely betrayed.

"What_!_? It's not like I told him everything_!_!" She said defensively. "And he already knew we were following him anyway. At least I got him to leave us alone without revealing our true intentions." She pointed out practically.

"Yeah, that was close." Sasuke agreed. Kakashi appeared to have taken her word for it. It had probably helped that April was usually the most responsible one in their group.

"Ah, well… I guess that's true." Sakura said, though she still looked a little disappointed.

"Hey, why were we noticed, anyway?" Naruto asked, still sulking.

"Isn't it because there were too many of us?" Sakura replied.

"But if we as long as we all mask our presence correctly, then numbers shouldn't matter." April reminded her.

"That's right!" Naruto agreed with a nod of his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't tell me you've forgotten your jutsu, Sakura-chan?"

"You're the one who forgets_!_!" Sakura snapped in annoyance, clocking him.

"Like April said earlier, following him will be good training." Sasuke said as he turned to leave. "Next time, we should try splitting up."

"You're right, we should totally ditch Naruto!" Sakura agreed cheerfully, causing poor Naruto to flinch in shock.

"What_!_? Why only me_!_?" He shouted indignantly. April let out a sigh and smiled sympathetically as she gave him a pat on the shoulder. Poor thing, he reminded her of that old internet meme, 'forever alone'.

—∞—

**The next day…**

First up was Naruto. He thought he had it in the bag, because Kakashi seemed totally absorbed in reading his book while he was walking, but then the jōnin just suddenly up and vanished on him!

"Ack!" Naruto exclaimed, running out into the open to look for him. "Huh? Where'd he go_!_?"

Sasuke and the girls were enjoying some tea, sitting on a bench under the shade of an umbrella and a big tree in front of a small store that was selling roasted chestnuts, while poor Naruto made his walk of shame back. When they glanced up at him expectantly, all he could do was laugh awkwardly and rub the back of his neck.

"… He got away." Naruto finally admitted very reluctantly after a moment of intense staring.

"Geez, you're as useless as ever." Sakura remarked with a frown.

"Moron." Sasuke scoffed. How worthless. Naruto hung his head in shame, wishing he could say something back, but at the moment, he really had nothing going for him after coming back so empty-handed.

"Well, we still have three more shots left…" April reminded them, trying to look on the bright side.

It was Sakura's turn next. She managed to tail their teacher to the third training ground, where he stopped to visit the memorial stone.

"Geez… What is Kakashi-sensei doing?" She wondered aloud, pouting in annoyance as the rain poured down. "He's been standing there for… Wait, don't tell me_!_!" She gasped as her eyes widened suddenly in realization, darting out from the bushes to get a better look at him from a different angle. "Ah!" She gasped in dismay as she skidded to halt in front of him. It was just a scarecrow_!_! When did he…_!_?

April and the boys enjoyed the warmth of the tea in their cups as they sat on the bench, safe from the rain that was adding a slight chill to the air. They all glanced up as Sakura returned.

"Teehee…" She laughed a little lamely as she tried to look cute, embarrassed to have failed after giving Naruto a hard time. The three on the bench hung their heads as they let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Guess I'm up next…" April said with a wry smile.

After relocating Kakashi, she managed to follow him rather uneventfully for about two blocks before he suddenly disappeared in front of the dango shop. April dashed forward through the puddles while doing her best to make as little noise as possible and carefully peeked into the shop to make sure he hadn't just ducked inside before giving up. She furrowed her brow and frowned slightly as she scanned the room but didn't find him.

"!" She jumped when a warm, firm hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted her with a smile, holding his umbrella so that it shielded her from the rain too.

"Hehe…" April let out an awkward laugh as she smiled back. Oops…

"It's good to work hard, but… If you aren't more careful, you're going to catch a cold." Kakashi said once they were seated inside, where it was warm and dry.

"Sorry, Sensei…" April apologized a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess I got a little too caught up..." She was already soaked to the bone. She thought a rain poncho might make too much noise, so the only part of her that she had bothered to try to protect from the rain was her cast, which was wrapped in a plastic bag to keep the water out.

"Two green teas and one order of mitarashi dango." The waitress said with a smile as she came over and set down their food and drinks. Her eyes lingered on Kakashi for a moment longer than necessary as she turned to leave. April pouted slightly. Was every woman in the village after him?

"Eat up." Kakashi said, pushing the plate of dango towards her.

"Huh? They're for me?" April asked, a little surprised.

"Well, I'm not much into sweets myself... but I've been told the dangos here are excellent. I thought they might make a good peace offering as an apology for the other day." He explained with a wry smile.

"Sensei… Are you trying to buy my forgiveness with food?" April asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's too devious." She said with the hint of a rueful smile on her lips as she reached for a skewer of the warm, sticky treat. Apology accepted. Kakashi smiled. He had a feeling she was a 'dangos over flowers' girl. "Actually, I've been wanting to apologize too…" April admitted, suddenly feeling a little shy as he looked at her in surprise. "They were still alive when I left my 'homeland', but I think I understand a little about how hard it is to have friends you miss to the point that it hurts when you can't see anymore… since no matter how much we want to, they're all in places that are beyond our reach now… I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I'm sorry." She said, bowing her head respectfully.

"…" Kakashi stared at her for a moment before letting out a sigh. April was too mature for her age… When she talked like that, it made it harder for him to treat her like a kid. He reached out and placed his on her head. "It's fine." He said with a small smile. "Now enjoy your dango, before they get cold."

Sakura and the boys were snacking on some chestnuts when April returned.

"Well, how was it?" Naruto asked excitedly, expecting great things since she had been gone long enough for it to stop raining.

"I was discovered in the end, but then got treated to dango~!" April answered brightly, flashing him a 'V' for victory with a ridiculously happy smile on her face. She may not have managed to catch a glimpse of Sensei's face, but at least she seemed to have managed to make a little progress elsewhere...

"EHHH_!_!_?_" Sakura and Naruto yelled incredulously. What was with this huge difference in treatment_!_? How _dare_ she come back looking so happy after failing them! Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh.

"Idiots…" He muttered. He was surrounded by them. It looked like it was up to him to show these fools how it was done…

Naruto and the girls were relaxing on the bench with another cup of tea while they waited for Sasuke to finish.

"Hm?" They said, surprised when he returned faster than expected.

"Sasuke-kun! How did it go?" Sakura asked hopefully as they all stared up at him. April noticed that he seemed to be avoiding making direct eye contact with any of them for some reason… Could it be…?

"Hmph. I quit." Sasuke said curtly as he turned his head away. "I'm sick of tailing him."

'I see… Sensei must have ditched him too…' April thought wryly, sweat-dropping, as they all sighed. It looked like it might be time to change tactics…

—∞—

**The day after that…**

"Heheh… We're off_!_!" Naruto said excitedly as he and the rest of Team 7 passed through the gates to leave the village.

'Our mission today is to help out at ranch…' Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes slightly as he cast a furtive glance at Kakashi.

'The mission itself isn't a big deal, but…' Sakura thought, eyeing their teacher warily.

'It requires a day of traveling, which means the whole team will have to stay together day and night…' April thought, keeping her gaze straight ahead while she suppressed a smirk.

'I'll definitely see it…' Naruto thought, smirking openly as he stared at their sneaky sensei, who was staring up into the sky.

'Kakashi-sensei's real face, that is_!_!' They all finished in their minds, thinking the exact same thing.

"Hm? What's up with you guys?" Kakashi asked as he looked back down at his students, feeling the tension in the air. "You seem eager today."

"We're eager, alright_!_!" Naruto and Sakura said enthusiastically as they both clenched their hands into fists, totally pumped up.

"Hmph." Sasuke said with a smirk.

'You guys… I know how you feel, but can't you be a little more subtle…?' April wondered with a wry smile, sweat-dropping. It was way too obvious that they were up to something.

"Oh, that's nice." Kakashi said with a smile as he stepped forward to lead the way. These kids had such honest faces… He could tell exactly what they were thinking.

"I've finally found you…" A mysterious ninja hiding amongst the leaves of the treetops said ominously, narrowing his eyes at the silver-haired jōnin. "… Hatake Kakashi!"


	33. Chapter32: Gotta See!

**Previously:**

_"Hm? What's up with you guys?" Kakashi asked as he looked back down at his students, feeling the tension in the air. "You seem eager today."_

_"We're eager, alright!_!_" Naruto and Sakura said enthusiastically as they both clenched their hands into fists, totally pumped up._

_"Hmph." Sasuke said with a smirk._

_'You guys… I know how you feel, but can't you be a little more subtle…?' April wondered with a wry smile, sweat-dropping. It was way too obvious that they were up to something._

_"Oh, that's nice." Kakashi said with a smile as he stepped forward to lead the way. These kids had such honest faces… He could tell exactly what they were thinking._

_"I've finally found you…" A mysterious ninja hiding amongst the leaves of the treetops said ominously, narrowing his eyes at the silver-haired jōnin. "… Hatake Kakashi!"_

* * *

**Chapter 32: Gotta See!**

* * *

"Kakashi… You're out of luck to have met me here." The mysterious ninja said as he watched the silver-haired jōnin lead his team away from the safety of the village. "I'll get you back for my long-standing grudge."

"Bro, what's this 'grudge' you're talking about?" One of his subordinates asked.

WHAM!

The mysterious ninja gave his subordinate a good whack on the head for interrupting his dramatic monologue.

"You idiot! Have you forgotten_!_?" He snapped incredulously. "I'll never forget. It happened in the spring, three years ago…"

_«« Flashback ««_

_"Nooo!_!_" A pretty young woman cried as she ran up the hill from the two strange ninjas who were chasing her._

_"There's no need to be frightened." One of them called after her._

_"Our bro said that he has something to talk to you about." The other added._

_"Bro!_?_" The girl asked as she stopped and spun around to face them, surprised._

_SQUEEEAK!_

_The pulley rigged up to the tree on the edge of the cliff behind her squealed and creaked as their bro ascended into view under the light of the full moon, standing on a rope swing with a red rose in his mouth. The boss ninja removed the rose from his lips and pointed it at her._

_"I love you." He told his woman coolly(?) with a wink. "Will you marry me?" He proposed suavely._

_"Bro, you're so cool!_!_" His two cronies swooned with heart-shaped eyes and slight nosebleed._

_"No." The girl said, totally creeped out by all the random weirdness._

_"There's no need to be embarrassed." The boss said. "Just be honest and embrace me—Ah!_!"_ He screamed at the end as he lost his balance and face planted in the dirt, instantly losing any semblance of dignity he might have had._

_"NO." The girl said emphatically._

_"It's all right. I may look like this, but I have money." Bro reassured her, twirling the rose in his hands and turning it into gold colds with a sleight of hand._

_"I said NO!" She yelled, starting to get fed up. Who was this guy anyway?_

_"What? Do you think you can decline my proposal in this situa-tiooon!_!_?" He demanded, howling in pain as the swing swung back forward and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him into her._

_"NO means NO!_!"_ She shrieked angrily, kicking him away._

_"Geez, I even set up such a romantic scene for you…" He grumbled._

_"NO means NO!_!_!_"_ She repeated shrilly._

_"How about you stop it right about there?" A bush suggested calmly with smooth, manly voice._

_"Huh?" Bro said, furrowing his brow as they all glanced at that bush._

_"Tada." A silver-haired leaf ninja said with a straight face as he poked his head up out of the bush, holding a book that said 'Make-Out Violence' on the front. He couldn't enjoy his book with them shouting like that. "Look, she doesn't want to, and no matter how I look at the situation, you're being dumped." He stated coolly, trying to be the voice of reason._

_"Uh-huh!" The girl said, nodding her head in agreement. Finally, someone who could read the situation!_

_"You sure have guts there!" Bro snapped angrily, jumping back onto his feet. "Who do you think I am!_?"_ He asked, striking a dramatic pose, as he pointed his finger at the unwanted intruder. "Are you picking a fight with me knowing that we're the famous Moyanin Three?" As he spoke, his two subordinates moved into position behind him, forming the characters for 'Mo' and 'Ya' with their bodies._

_"Moyanin?" The silver-haired ninja asked calmly, looking bored. "Never heard of them."_

_"You don't know of the Moyanin!_?_" Bro said incredulously as the three if them held their ridiculous poses._

_"Making fools out of us, you…!" The subordinate forming 'Mo' growled angrily._

_"Bastard, who the hell are you?" The one forming 'Ya' demanded._

_"My name isn't really worth mentioning…" The silver-haired ninja said humbly as he stepped out of the bush, still reading his book. "But I'm Kakashi Hatake."_

_"Then why bother mentioning it all!_?" _They snapped simultaneously._

_"Hey, you!" Mo shouted._

_"We'll make you regret this!" Ya threatened._

_"You interrupted my love!" Bro yelled with righteous fury._

_"Love?" Kakashi asked, finally lowering his book. "Don't you mean 'stalking'?" He asked with a brilliant shit-eating grin._

_"Shut up!_!_" Bro shouted, stomping his foot. "Let's get him, guys!_!_" He ordered Mo and Ya._

_"Yeah!" The agreed readily._

_"4, 3, 2, 1!" Bro counted down._

_"Hustle! Hustle!" All three of them shouted, imitating prizefighter Ogawa Masaya, as they all did a weird little hip thrust before charging to attack._

_WHACK! WHAM! BANG!_

_One embarrassingly short fight later, the Moyanin Three found themselves trussed up in the rope for the swing, dangling precariously over the edge of the cliff._

_"Hold on!_!_ Please! Someone! Someone please help!_!_" Bro shouted nervously._

_"I'll walk you home." Kakashi told the girl, offering her his arm, while he held his book in the other hand, still reading._

_"Hey, don't be talking!"_

_"Yay!" The girl said with heart-shaped eyes, completely smitten with her handsome savior._

_"Hey!_!"_ Bro shouted indignantly as they walked away together. "You're not leaving me, are you!_?"

_«« End Flashback ««_

"Well, that's how it was." Bro finished proudly, standing akimbo.

"Don't brag when you lost!" Mo and Ya snapped.

"So, this is revenge for what happened three years ago?" Ya asked as they returned to their positions at his side.

"You, bro, who has become stronger with the past few years, are going to fight him head on!" Mo said excitedly. As expected of their leader! "Ow!" He grunted in pain as Bro hit him on the head again.

"Idiot! Who'd do something that dangerous?" Bro snapped incredulously, surprising them. "If we're going to do this, let's do it secretly from the shadows." He said with a devious laugh and a smirk.

"That's… kind of dirty…" Mo and ya whispered, sweat-dropping.

"AHOU! AHOU!" A crow cried as it flew overhead.

"Welcome! Welcome!" The matron of the Tomiya Inn greeted Kakashi's team enthusiastically when they decided to stop there for the night. The Moyanin Three snickered ominously as they watched.

"Woah-ho!" Naruto exclaimed as he and the others entered their room and found that the table had already been decked out from corner to corner with an extravagant meal.

"It's a real sushi boat_!_!" April said excitedly with shining eyes. She had only ever seen those in pictures and anime before!

"Amazing~!" Sakura gushed.

"Hmph." Sasuke said, playing it cool

"It looks delicious!" Naruto said, drooling. He was itching to dig in.

"It's so grand." Kakashi remarked with a smile. They all quickly took their seats at the table, with April and Naruto on one side, Sasuke and Sakura on the other, and Kakashi at the head of the table as the adult.

"Take your time." The matron said as she exited the room, shutting the doors behind her. "Hihihi… Eat up, Kakashi." Bro said deviously, switching back to his regular voice as he removed his mask. 'For this meal shall be your last!' He thought to himself. 'I've poisoned that food with an odorless, tasteless drug I've created that will give you hiccups forever! Take your hiccups and die in pain_!_! That's the kind of death you deserve!'

"?" April said, glancing around as she felt an odd shiver run up her spin. Was that killing intent she sensed just now…? She shook her head. Nah, it couldn't be. Not on a D-rank mission like this… She was probably just on edge because of how tense everyone else was. They were all watching Kakashi-sensei like hawks, waiting for him to make the first move. However, staring at the lavish food on the table, Kakashi couldn't help but feel something was off. Wasn't this too much service for a small group like theirs? It's not like he had paid extra up front… Plus he could have sworn he felt killing intent for a moment… or maybe that was just his students? They almost all of them were glaring pretty intensely at him. None of them had even touched the food yet.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" He asked them. "You're not eating."

"Oh, not really. Why don't you eat, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said a bit nervously.

"Oh, I'm on a diet right now, so…" He said, trailing off when saw the look of blatant disbelief on April's face. It was such an obvious lie.

'So, that's how it is.' Naruto thought, frowning, also not buying it. 'No matter what, I'm going to see your face!' He thought determinedly, reaching for the teapot.

'This is bad… Sensei's too suspicious. At this rate, no one will get to eat…' April thought, furrowing her brow for a moment before plastering on a smile. "Well, I guess I'll start then." She said as she reached for her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu…" Her eyes widened as one of those horrible moments where you feel like you're watching a train wreck in slow motion occurred when Naruto suddenly threw the pot of boiling tea at Kakashi-sensei's face.

"Oh no, my hand slipped…!" He said as the teapot flew past her stunned face.

'H-Hold on… Isn't that… going too far…_!_?' She thought, horrified at the possibility of the painful damage the boiling liquid might inflict if it actually hit its target. Just as she was thinking this, the lid slipped and some of the hot tea started spiraling out of the opening towards her as it sailed through the air towards Kakashi. In the instant that happened, Kakashi narrowed his eyes and immediately used his superior reflexes to flip the table up, catching the spray flying towards her face and stopping the dangerous teapot in its tracks at the cost of their meal. April stared at the carnage in front of her with wide eyes, shocked. The only thing still sticking to the table was the octopus, and even that fell to the floor when the suction cups gave out after a moment of awkward silence had passed as they all stared at the ruined dishes scattered all over the floor.

"GAAAAHHH_!_!" Naruto yelled, clutching his head as he realized what had just happened.

"What have you done_!_?" Sakura demanded angrily, feeling like she was ready to pull her hair out.

'M-My sushi boat…_!_!_!_' April cried internally as she let her chopsticks fall from her hand, devastated. Wasn't there a better way_!_?

"Oh, sorry, I just unintentionally…" Kakashi apologized with a wry smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't 'unintentionally' me_!_!_!_" Sakura and Naruto shouted angrily, fuming. Sasuke glared at their teacher, for once in full agreement with his teammates.

"Look at what you did_!_!" Naruto snapped, pointing at the dejected April, who was sitting in her own little corner of woe. "Eating from a real sushi boat has been on her bucket list for forever_!_!"

"Ah…" Kakashi said, sweat-dropping. Now he felt kind of bad, but if he hadn't done something… He glanced sideways at the tatami mats, where he could see the sliver of a suspicious purple stain forming around the edge of one of the spilled sauces. If he hadn't done something about that food, it probably would have been her last meal…

'Ah, the food…' The Moyanin Three thought woefully, shedding tears as they watched through the peepholes that they had poked into the rice paper doors to spy on them. 'What a cruel thing…' They sighed, hanging their heads in defeat.

"Hey, what should we do now?" Sakura asked the boys while Kakashi was distracted with trying to comfort April over the loss of the sushi boat.

"Relax." Sasuke said. "I have an idea."

"What idea?" Sakura and Naruto asked curiously.

"Hmph." Sasuke smirked.

_CLUNK._

The sound of the bottom of the bamboo sōzu hitting the stone as it emptied in the garden could be heard in the onsen.

"I see… Strangely enough, you've thought this idea through, Sasuke." Naruto said as the boys kept their heads low in the water. "You'd usually take your mask off when you take a bath, right?"

"Just be quiet, you moron." Sasuke said. He didn't want Kakashi to overhear them. Meanwhile, the Moyanin Three, who were hiding behind a large rock next to the hot springs, were enacting a plan of their own.

"Heheheh… Kakashi, you'll die here." Bro said lowly with a sinister chuckle as he pulled out a blow dart. "This blow dart contains another poison I created that makes you laugh forever." Mo and Ya cast a dubious glance at the skinny tube, wondering where he had been hiding it since they were all butt-naked… Did their bro just pull that out of his ass? "You'll die laughing. That death suits you best."

"Aw, I wanted to see too…" April said with a sigh as the girls tried to relax next door in the women's bath.

"But it's the men's hot springs…" Sakura said, pouting. "But, I want to see! Moh…" She sank into the water, blowing bubbles. "Say, April-chan… Why do you like Kakashi-sensei?" She asked abruptly.

"_!_!" April flinched, completely caught off-guard. "I-Is it that obvious…?" She asked a little nervously as her cheeks flushed slightly from embarrassment and the heat of the bath.

'Hmm… April-chan's kind of cute when she's feeling shy.' Sakura thought objectively. "Well, I doubt the boys have picked up on it… But seriously, why? He's old and perverted! I don't understand your taste in men." The corner of April's mouth twitched.

'The feeling's mutual…' She thought. April didn't understand Sakura's infatuation with Sasuke at all. He had a nice face, but most of the time he was just a jerk. "He's not old! Sensei's in his twenties." She said defensively. They were only thirteen years apart… That was only four or five years more than the age gap between her own parents had been. "And besides, all men are perverts." She stated calmly.

"No, they aren't!" Sakura argued. "Sasuke-kun would never—"

"_All _of them." April insisted firmly in a tone that left no room for argument. It was an inescapable fact of life that she had learned at an early age after discovering her father's December 2004 issue of _Playboy_ magazine with Denise Richards on the cover when she was four while hunting for Christmas presents in her parent's room. "Well, to be fair, women are too, to some extent…"

"Okay, now you're going too far." Sakura told her, backing away. Women were perverts? As if! That was a guy thing!

"Well, think about it. There'd be no such thing as 'physical attraction' if we weren't. There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's just a natural part of being human. It's only a bad thing when it's taken too far and becomes a nuisance to others…"

"I can't hear you! I'm not listening_!_!" Sakura said anxiously with her hands clamped tightly over her ears in an attempt to block her out, spiraling into a serious case of denial. No way! She didn't _want_ to think about it! That would mean Sasuke-kun was just like Naruto…_!_!

"Achoo_!_!" They heard Naruto sneeze in the neighboring bath, as if he knew they were talking/thinking about him. "Are you ready yet, Kakashi-sensei?" He called, starting to get impatient. Why was he sneezing in a hot bath? Was it the steam?

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Kakashi answered.

"!" Both girls gasped, suddenly snapping to attention. This was the moment they had all been waiting for! 'I want to see!' They thought, scrambling over to the wooden fence dividing the two baths in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Kakashi's face. Neither of the girls wanted to be left out. Even if she wasn't romantically interested in him like April, Sakura still wanted to know…

"He's coming!" Naruto whispered excitedly as they heard the sound of the door of the inner wash and changing room open.

"Alright!" Bro said, getting ready to take aim and blow his poisonous dart.

"Oh, I can't see anything!" Sakura complained as she and April pressed their faces up against the fence, trying to peek between the cracks, but the wood was fitted too close together for that.

"Me neither!" April said, frowning.

"That's it, desperate times call for desperate measures!" April said determinedly with a serious gleam in her eye as she pulled out the kunai she had been hiding in her towel, just in case.

"!" Sakura gasped in surprise. Was she going to make a peephole_!_? "You can't do that!"

"Why not?" April asked furrowing her brow in confusion. "I'll make it really small, so it doesn't stand out." It's not like anyone would know it was them. They had the whole bath to themselves at the moment.

"No! I mean, peeking through a gap in the fence is one thing, but making an actual peephole… What exactly are you planning to look at_!_?" Sakura asked, blushing furiously.

"Sensei's face." April said straightly without a hint of hesitation. "… What are you getting so worked up about, Sakura-chan? They're all wearing towels too, aren't they?" That should cover about as much as swimsuit, right? She didn't see what the big deal was.

"Eh? Ah, well…" Sakura said, turning an even deeper shade of red as an image of Sasuke in just a towel popped into her head.

"Sorry to make you wait. I'm coming in now." They heard Kakashi tell the boys as he stepped into the hot bath. The boys were on edge as they waited to catch a glimpse of their teacher without his mask as he moved closer through the steam. "Just for a little bit, thought." He said with a smile as he came into view, wearing a towel over the bottom half of his face.

"GAH_!_!" Naruto and Sasuke both face-faulted into the water. "Why did it turn out like this?" They gurgled miserably.

'Now!' Bro thought, shooting the blow dart at his enemy.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked them. "Oh well, I guess I'll get in now." He said, lowering himself into the bath with perfect timing to avoid being hit by the dart flying at him through the steam. Instead, it flew right over the top of Kakashi's head and nailed an innocent little frog right between the eyes. The poor frog collapsed to the ground in a fit of weird squeaking sounds. "Hm?" Kakashi said, glancing in the direction the dart had come.

"!" The Moyanins quickly ducked behind the rock to avoid being seen.

'What the hell_!_?' Bro thought incredulously. Just how lucky could this guy get_!_?

"Damn! What's going on in there?" April asked, pressing up against the fence again. Did they miss the big moment? Why did it sound like someone was murdering a squeak toy in there? "What happened? I want to see!"

"Okay, fine! Do it!" Sakura whispered urgently, letting her curiosity get the better of her. April didn't need to be told twice. She gripped the kunai in her hand, ready to strike, when they heard the voices of other women, and the door to the washroom opened. April quickly tucked the kunai back inside her towel as she and Sakura jumped back into bath, trying to look as casual as possible as several older women came out to join them. The two girls exchanged a glance and sighed. They had just lost their chance…


	34. Chapter33: Kakashi-Sensei's Real Face!

**Previously:**

_"Okay, fine! Do it!" Sakura whispered urgently, letting her curiosity get the better of her. April didn't need to be told twice. She gripped the kunai in her hand, ready to strike, when they heard the voices of other women, and the door to the washroom opened. April quickly tucked the kunai back inside her towel as she and Sakura jumped back into bath, trying to look as casual as possible as several older women came out to join them. The two girls exchanged a glance and sighed. They had just lost their chance…_

* * *

**Chapter 33: Kakashi-Sensei's Real Face!**

* * *

The next day, April, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were utterly exhausted. After having failed to see his face while he was in the bath, they had tried pulling numerous other stunts to get Kakashi-sensei to reveal his face, but each one had ended in complete and utter failure. By comparison, Kakashi was practically beaming with radiance. Despite having his students constantly dogging him every step of the way, the jōnin was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and full of energy that morning.

"Come again! Please Come Again!" The inn's matron said with, bidding the group of ninjas farewell with a big smile. What a lively bunch! The Moyanin watched from a safe distance as they politely thanked the staffed, and Kakashi and his team departed, hiding in a giant pickling barrel. Despite the fact that they were hiding their presence, April couldn't shake the feeling that she and her team were being followed and spared a quick backward glance.

"!" Her eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately whipped her head back around to face forward again as she reached out and tugged on the back of Kakashi's flack jacket to get his attention.

"S-Sensei… Are we being stalked by a pickling barrel_!_?" She whispered seriously, weirded out by the culprits' choice of disguise, wondering if she was hallucinating from lack of sleep. What did they think they were doing out there in the middle of the woods? If she didn't know better, she might think they being punked.

"It would appear so." Kakashi replied calmly without even having to look back to check. He had been aware of the enemy for quite some time. "But don't worry, Sensei will take care of it soon. You can just ignore it."

"Huh? Well, if you say so…" April replied a bit hesitantly, sweat-dropping, as she resisted the urge to stare. For some reason, the rest of her teammates seemed blissfully oblivious to the weirdness that was stalking them.

"Damn it, I'll definitely take you down, Kakashi Hatake." Bro grumbled moodily as he and his subordinates stealthily tiptoed along behind them in the giant pickling barrel.

"But we're lucky that we brought a change of spare clothes." Ya remarked. It had been a shock when they tried to leave the bath last night only to find that their clothes had been stolen from the changing room.

"But I wonder who took our clothing?" Mo said, furrowing his brow.

"Okay, everyone go to your post and start working. Move out!" Kakashi said once they had reached the ranch and heard what needed to be done from the clients. It was just some basic maintenance work that needed doing while some of the regular workers were away.

"I can't go on much longer. I'm totally stressed out." Naruto said grimly as he gathered around in a huddle with Sakura and Sasuke while April and Kakashi-sensei headed off to fix a broken fence. They were all mentally and physically exhausted after suffering so many successive failures in a row.

"I'm almost at my limit, too." Sasuke admitted reluctantly.

"Sasuke-kun, to tell you the truth, I am too…" Sakura confessed tiredly.

"Then, we'll our last resort!" Naruto said determinedly, mustering his strength for one final shot at victory.

"Last resort?" Sasuke and Sakura asked skeptically. They had something like that?

"These are…?" Sasuke asked after they had finished changing into the clothes Naruto handed them.

"Can't you tell by looking at them?" Naruto retorted. "They're shinobi uniforms."

"Where did you get these?" Sakura asked curiously. She didn't recognize the symbol on the forehead protector… And for some reason, they were several sizes too large, like they had been borrowed from an adult.

"Uh, well, that doesn't matter!" Naruto said quickly. She didn't need to know about how he had conveniently 'found' the uniforms hanging up in the changing room of the men's bath back at the inn.

"What will we do in these?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his brow. The only thing these ridiculously baggy outfits had going for them was that they allowed them to cover their heads and faces.

"Hah!" Naruto jumped and struck a dramatic pose. "We'll rip his mask off by force_!_!" He declared boldly.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and April were busy doing some actual work, while the real owners of those uniforms continued to spy on them from a distance in the pickle barrel.

"Damn that Kakashi!" Bro muttered darkly. Look at him, fixing that fence like he was all that, and nailing those nails like he owned the damned place… That bastard thought he was so cool!

"Bro, take a look at that_!_!" Ya shouted abruptly as he whipped his hand out to point, unintentionally smacking the boss in the face.

"!" Fortunately for him, Bro was too surprised by what he was seeing to care.

"Hey, Kakashi Hatake_!_!" Naruto shouted challengingly as he, Sasuke, and Sakura all ran over to confront him.

"!" April said as she and their teacher turned to face them, almost dropping the board in her hand. 'What the…? Couldn't they have at least tried to change their voices?' She wondered, immediately recognized her teammates.

"Huh? What happened to you three?" Kakashi asked them without the slightest hint of hesitation. Those disguises weren't fooling anyone.

"!" Naruto flinched in shocked. "W-What ate you talking about_!_? We're just ordinary ninjas_!_!" He started rambling nervously. "It's not like we want to see what's under your mask or any—"

"Idiot_!_!" Sakura snapped, pushing him down to shut him up before he made things worse. "Don't say anything unnecessary_!_!"

'Those disguises are what's unnecessary…' April thought wryly, sweat-dropping.

"What's going on…?" Bro wondered aloud, sweat-dropping. Those three uniforms looked incredibly familiar…

"Bro, those people must have grudges against Kakashi, too!" Mo exclaimed.

"This is our chance!" Ya said excitedly.

"Alright, let's go_!_!" Bro ordered, quickly deciding not to waste the opportunity to gang up on Kakashi with the newcomers.

"Yes, sir!" Mo and Ya answered dutifully as the Moyanin Three sprang into action, abandoning their hiding place in the pickle barrel.

"Hold it right there_!_!" Bro shouted as the three of them jumped into position, striking their customary poses. "Hehehe… Kakashi, it's about time we settle things!" He declared, whipping out a new bottle of poison. "With this poison I created that will make you cry forever…" His voice suddenly died in his throat, and he dropped the bottle in shock when he realized the other three ninja had already been defeated.

"Phew, I was wondering how much longer you planned on sneaking around in the shadows… but you've finally come out." Kakashi said as he held his three defeated students bundled up together above his head with one hand. Since they had insisted on attacking him instead of focusing on the mission, he had decided to answer in kind. April sweat-dropped as she stared up at her teammates. KO'd in under three seconds… How humiliating.

"Eh? Uh… wait a minute…" The Moyanin said nervously, taking several steps back.

"But before that, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto… Why are you wearing that?" Kakashi asked curiously, causing them to flinch guiltily. Even April was looking nervous now for some reason… Were they in this together? Maybe he should have punished her too while he was at it.

"Well, um, you see…" Naruto stammered, struggling to come up with a decent explanation as he, Sakura, and Sasuke broke out in a nervous sweat, while April kept trying to signal them to calm down and play it cool with her eyelashes behind Kakashi's back.

'This is bad… I need to think of an excuse!' Sakura thought urgently. "You fell for it!" She said aloud, pointing at the three enemy ninja that had just randomly appeared before them. She had no idea who they were, but they couldn't have had better timing. "We knew you were after Kakashi-sensei all along!"

'Smooth.' April thought appreciatively.

"What_!_?" Bro said as he and his comrades reared back in shock. Now that he looked more closely, he could see that it was just the other three kids Kakashi had with him in disguise. "Then you were aware of our plan from the beginning_!_?"

"Of course!" Sakura said confidently, relieved she had managed to fool them. "This was a trap to lure you guys out."

"So I walked right into the trap_!_?" Bro asked incredulously, furrowing his brow in frustration.

'We already knew where they were, though…' April thought wryly. That pickle barrel stood out like a sore thumb.

"Damn it! I underestimated you guys because you're kids_!_!" Bro cursed, wishing he had been more alert.

'Nobody told me that…' Naruto thought dubiously as he glanced at Sakura, sweat-dropping.

'Nice one, Sakura.' Sasuke thought.

"I don't quite get it, but…" Kakashi said, scratching his head. He was pretty sure Sakura had just made that up on the fly, since April was definitely the only one who had noticed they were being followed earlier. "Oh well." He said, deciding to let it go for now, as he stepped forward to take care of the Moyanin.

"_!_!" The three enemy ninja exclaimed nervously, whimpering as they backed away. "Please forgive us!" They cried as they fell to their knees in a low bow. "Please forgive us!"

"There's no use talking." Kakashi said sternly as he loomed over them with his hands on his hips. The fact still remained that they had tried to kill him three times now, and his students had nearly been caught in the crossfire. He wasn't about to go easy on them.

"P-Please_!_! S-Stop_!_!" The Moyanin cried, scared out of their wits.

WHAM! BAM! WHACK! BANG!

April winced sympathetically as she watched Kakashi wail on the three enemy ninjas. Even though they had asked for it, those three were so pathetic, it felt like she watching the strong bully the weak.

"This is the same as what happened three years ago_!_!" Bro exclaimed incredulously after Kakashi strung the three of them up and left them hanging from the barn once he had finished teaching them a lesson. "We're hanging on one rope, and we're swinging the same way we did before! We're sharing the same rope, and since I can't find the end of the rope, it's hard to get out…"

"Come to think of it… Who are you?" Kakashi asked, delivering the final blow.

"He doesn't even remembering us_!_!_!_" The Moyanin sobbed, crying a river. That one remark had inflicted some deep psychological damage.

"AHOU! AHOU!" A crow cried as it flew past the setting sun.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto said as they headed back to the village after completing their mission to help out on the ranch, leaving the three Moyanin hanging.

"Hm?" Kakashi said, glancing up from his book for a moment. He was rereading _Make-Out Violence_ to get ready for the upcoming movie.

"What's under your mask?" Naruto asked bluntly, deciding they had nothing to lose now that every other method had failed.

"What? You wanted to see what's under this mask?" Kakashi asked, lowering his book.

"Yeah!" Naruto said while the others nodded.

"Then you should have just said so earlier." Kakashi told them calmly.

'Told you so.' April thought, shooting the others a look. The boys sweat-dropped as they avoided her gaze. So much grief could've been avoided…

"Huh? Then, will you show us?" Sakura asked their teacher, surprised.

"Sure." Kakashi replied easily.

"_!_!" All four kids gasped excitedly, immediately moving in closer to get a better look.

"What's the big deal?" Kakashi asked innocently as they all stared up at him with eyes full of anticipation. "All right, then…" He said, reaching for his mask.

'Is it blimp lips…?' Sakura wondered anxiously.

'Or buckteeth…?' Sasuke wondered.

'Or a tiny mouth…?' Naruto wondered as a bead of nervous sweat dripped down the side of his face.

'Normal face…! Normal face…!' April prayed silently, crossing her fingers, as she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat.

"Under this mask is…" Kakashi paused for dramatic effect.

'Under the mask is…' His students thought anxiously with their hearts beating loudly.

"Another mask!" Kakashi finished brightly as he pulled his mask down, revealing that he was wearing an identical one just beneath it.

"GAHAAAAHH_!_!_!_" The kids yelled as their jaws dropped, turning white.

"Ahaha!" Kakashi laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck, enjoying the priceless expressions on their faces.

"…" April stared at him, dumbfounded, while the others fell over in shock. She let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. No wonder he had agreed to let them see so easily… 'I knew it… He's been trolling us this whole time_!_!' She thought, chagrined. She had sort of suspected something like this might happen.

"Wha… What's up with that_!_!_?_" Naruto demanded, rolling on the ground with frustration.

"Well played, Sensei…" April said with another heavy sigh of disappointment. Well played. "You knew were after your face from the beginning, didn't you?"

"Oh? Did you want to see it that badly?" Kakashi asked with a brilliant shit-eating grin, which they couldn't see at all because of the mask. "Well, I guess I can let you see it, when you're a little older…" He said, patting her on the head.

"?" April said, raising an eyebrow as she glanced up at him questioningly, still pouting a little.

"Don't worry, Sensei's looking at you properly now." He added smoothly.

"!" April said as her cheeks flooded with color, blushing furiously, as she tried to suppress the goofy smile threatening to spread across her face. April joined her friends on the ground, completely steamed up. Kakashi smiled wryly.

'Looks like she's still a kid, after all…' He thought affectionately. April was cute, but he didn't want to be one of those teachers who laid a hand on their students. He could wait.


	35. Chapter34: Intruders?

**Chapter 34: Intruders****_!_****?**

* * *

April popped one of her homemade frozen breakfast burritos in the oven while she mixed herself a smoothie of spinach, blueberries, and green tea for a boost of energy. Her hair was still damp from the shower she took after her morning run, but it should be dry by the time she was done eating.

She and Naruto finished getting ready for the day and emerged from their apartments at about the same time. Once they finished locking up, their eyes met, and they grinned.

"Yaay_!_!_! _I'm going to kick ass on today's mission_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted as they took off, racing to the meeting spot. "Uwaa_!_!_!_! Mach 5_!_!_!_!_!_" He yelled as he tried to catch up to April, who quickly gained the lead.

"Haha! Victory_!_!" April cheered as she reached the others first, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I see you two are energetic as always…" Sakura remarked wryly. Where did they get the energy to be this excited so early in the morning?

"Good morning_!_!_!_ Sakura-chan_!_!_!_" Naruto greeted her enthusiastically. "!" He said, stopping short and furrowing his brow when his eyes landed on Sasuke.

"!" Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes as they glared at each other.

"Hmph!" Both boys huffed as they abruptly broke eye contact and turned away at the same time, snubbing each other.

"…" The girls said, sweat-dropping as they watched.

'Not again…' April thought, chagrined. 'Aside from that time when we tried to see Kakashi-sensei's face, their relationship with each other has been steadily worsening…'

'These two have been weird since returning from the Land of Waves…' Sakura thought, also chagrined. It was too early for this kind of tension. It was starting to get awkward… 'Cha! Kakashi-sensei_!_! Hurry_!_!_!_' Inner Sakura cried.

"Alrighty, then!" April said suddenly, breaking the silence, as she dropped into position to do some pushups. She was so glad to have that cast off! "Boom! Boom! Boom! Clap!—" She clapped as she pushed up and quickly caught herself, transitioning flawlessly into another pushup. "—You're picture perfect blue—CLAP—Sunbathing on a moon—CLAP—Stars shining as your bones illuminate—"

"Uh… What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, furrowing his brow as all three of her teammates stared at her. What did she think she was doing in the middle of the road? Sakura was glad April had managed to break the tension between the boys, but now things were kind of weird for another reason…

"Singing-clap pushups." April answered, as if it should have been obvious. Instead of counting reps with numbers as she went, she preferred to just workout to the rhythm of her favorite songs and calculate her rate reps per song ahead of time in order to keep track of how many she was doing. That way she could have fun working out instead of having to focus on trying to remember what number she was on. It was easier for her to remember words than numbers, and the words never changed, so she immediately knew where she had left off in her workout if she had to pause for some reason. "They're fun. Want to give it a try?"

"Fun_!_?" Sakura asked, flinching in surprise. It looked ridiculously hard! April was making it look easy, but doing so many things at once obviously involved a lot of hand-eye coordination and strength in the muscles and lungs… Not to mention the mental fortitude required in order to be able belt out lyrics to what was obviously some sort of love song in public... She wasn't even that good of a singer.

"No." Sasuke refused bluntly. She had a lot of guts to do that when she couldn't even stay in tune. Her breathing was steady, but her voice was all over the place.

"April…" Naruto said, sweat-dropping. This wasn't his first time witnessing her perform this particular exercise, but they were usually secluded in the woods where no one else could hear. Out here in the open, it was kind of embarrassing. "It's fine if you want to do pushups or something while we wait, but your singing is a little…"

"I'll stop when you two stop making it awkward for me and Sakura while we have to wait with you for Sensei to show up." April said with a cunning gleam in her eye, knowing her actions were embarrassing them more than they were her. Her skin was much thicker against stuff like this.

'She's blackmailing us_!_?' Naruto and Sasuke thought, rearing back in shock.

The boys eventually gave in when they saw the first pedestrian headed their way, and everyone was able to wait in a much less awkward, mutually beneficial silence after that, which was a good thing, because Kakashi didn't end up arriving until three hours later.

"Hey, guys!" Kakashi greeted them casually with a little wave when he finally showed up. "I got lost."

"Stop lying with a straight face_!_!_!_" Sakura snapped immediately as she pointed a finger at him. "Give it a rest_!_!"

"You're a failure as a ninja_!_!" Naruto added, giving the jōnin a thumbs down. Kakashi sweat-dropped. He didn't want to hear that from _Naruto_, of all people…

"Those are big words for someone who can't do clap pushups without falling on their face." April deadpanned, causing Naruto to flinch as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"S-Shut up_!_!_!_" He snapped indignantly, glancing nervously at the others to see their reactions. Sasuke and Sakura were both staring at him like he was an idiot. Kakashi was unsurprised. "Damn it, April_!_!" He cursed, shaking his fist at her while she looked away, acting innocent. He told her not to talk about that_!_!

"Anyway, Sensei, what's our mission for today?" April asked, changing the subject.

"Well…" Kakashi started to say, when a certain someone rudely interrupted him.

"Hey, hey_!_!_! _Kakashi-sensei_!_!_!_" Naruto said loudly, perking up instantly at the first mention of a mission. "Lately all of our Team 7's missions have been too easy_!_! I want a more, you know, hot one_!_! Where I can shine_!_! That follows my ninja path_!_! And my heart, like…_!_!_!_" He declared, burning fiercely with excitement.

'Any hotter, and you could roast marshmallows on him…' April thought with a wry smile.

"Yeah, Yeah." Kakashi said with a sigh, sweat-dropping. "I pretty much know what you're going to say…" They watched as Naruto suddenly narrowed his eyes and whipped his head around to glare at Sasuke again. April let out a sigh and shook her head. He never learned, did he?

'Damn it… This guy…' Naruto growled internally as his eyebrow twitched with irritation. 'Always making me look bad and stealing the spotlight… I won't lose_!_!_!_' He grit his teeth as he began to daydream about Sasuke being the one who needed saving for once. At the last minute, he would jump in like a hero and say 'Pft… Can't you take care of yourself?' in a really cool way. 'Today I want to… Say something like that!" He thought determinedly, clenching his fist.

"Hey, Naruto, what are you doing? Let's go!" Kakashi called as he and the others started to walk away.

"Roger_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted enthusiastically as he ran to catch up with them.

"You're seriously annoying today_!_!_!_" Sakura snapped at him.

–∞–

**After the day's mission was completed…**

"Geez, it's because you push yourself too much." Sakura scolded Naruto with a frown, annoyed. He was in such bad shape by the end of their simple D-rank mission, that he had to lean on her and April for support. Just what the heck was he trying to do?

"Yeah, it's good to always try to put in your best effort, but you were too reckless this time." April agreed.

"Haah…" Naruto sighed, too exhausted to argue. All of his extra effort had backfired, leaving him completely beat up.

"Well, I guess I'll have to make you a Chunky Monkey when we get home, huh?" April suggested with a wry smile.

"_!_!" Naruto gasped, immediately perking up. That was one of his favorite non-ramen snacks!

"Chunky Monkey…?" Sakura asked dubiously.

"It's what I call my post-workout smoothie made with bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate milk." April explained. "FYI, chocolate milk can help the body recover after exercise because of its four to one carb-to-protein ratio."

'Her naming sense is just like Minato-sensei's…' Kakashi thought with a wry smile.

"What? Really?" Sakura asked, surprised. "I had no idea… I don't usually drink milk."

"That's not good, Sakura-chan." April said, concerned. "Unless you're lactose intolerant, you should have at least one glass of milk a day, especially since you're a girl. It not only helps with muscle-building and weight loss, but it also helps make your bones stronger and can help reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis and knee osteoarthritis later on."

"But didn't you break your wrist a while back?" Sakura reminded her skeptically.

"I said 'stronger' not 'indestructible'." April retorted with a straight face. "And it was just a hairline fracture… Ah_!_!" She gasped suddenly as she remembered something important. "I almost forgot! They're having a big sale on meat today_!_! Three for the price of one_!_!_!_" She exclaimed excitedly, quickly checking the time.

"Eh_!_!_?_ Is that today_!_!_?_" Naruto asked as she checked the time, alarmed. Damn, why did he have to be in such bad shape at a time like this_!_?

"Crap_!_! There's only fifteen minutes left on the sale_!_!_!_ Sorry, Sensei, but can I _please_ be excused early_!_!_?_" She pleaded anxiously, staring up at him with big, sad eyes.

"Uh…" Kakashi said, a little taken aback. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You'd better let her go, Kakashi-sensei_!_!" Naruto said urgently. "We haven't eaten any real meat in _weeks!_!_!_" They were totally out, and he was getting really tired of the other sources of protein April had been using.

"Y-Yeah, sure…" Kakashi agreed, sweat-dropping. April spared a moment to beam up at him in gratitude with the radiance of a thousand suns before taking off like a shot, disappearing with unprecedented speed. "… What just happened?" He asked Naruto, sweat-dropping.

"Meat's usually too expensive for us, so April waits to buy it all on sale. Then she freezes it to make it last longer and thaws it out whenever we need some." Naruto explained. "Since the meat super-sale only happens once a year, and the discount is only good for a certain amount per customer… I usually go with her, and then we each stand in line and pay separately so we can get twice the amount, but… During the times when I can't make it, she'll just use the Transformation Jutsu to get back in line and buy my share for me." With the shape he was in at the moment, there's no way he was going to be able to get there in time.

'Well, that's one way to do it…' Kakashi thought, though he had mixed feelings about her using her jutsus that way. Minor ethical concerns aside, that was pretty resourceful of her.

'Isn't that cheating?' Sakura thought, sweat-dropping. She was annoyed April had just left her there as Naruto's only support. Why were they freaking out so much? It was just meat. It didn't occur to her that Naruto and April didn't have as much income as her parents.

"Pft… Can't you take care of yourself?" Sasuke remarked disdainfully. First he gets himself hurt on a simple mission, and now this. How did Naruto survive before he met April?

"!" Sakura said as Naruto flinched and grit his teeth, scowling as a vein throbbed on his forehead. Uh-oh.

"God dammnit_!_! Zazuge_!_!_!_" Naruto yelled angrily, using the last of his remaining energy to flail his arms while Sakura held him back.

"If you don't calm down, I'll finish you_!_!_!_" She snapped at him, making a fist.

"Tch." Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance at the fuss they were all making and turned to leave.

"…" Kakashi said as he watched, frowning slightly. Those two had been like this off and on the whole day. "Hmm… Teamwork seems to be suffering lately…" He remarked, wondering what their problem was. They seemed to be getting along fine a few weeks ago.

"Yeah_!_!_!_ Yeah_!_!_!_ You're the one ruining our teamwork, Sasuke_!_!_! _Always hogging the spotlight, you bastard_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted obnoxiously.

"That's you, you moron." Sasuke retorted coolly. "If you want me to stop making you look bad… Then just become stronger than me." He said challengingly, pausing to glance back at him, furrowing his brow in annoyance.

"_!_!" Naruto said, also furrowing his brow. The two boys glared intensely at each other.

'They're somehow even worse than before…' Sakura thought nervously as she watched them.

'Damn it, this pisses me off.' Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes as the crease in his brow deepened. 'There are tons of guys out there stronger than me, yet I have to do these stupid missions…' Kakashi watched his students silently. He could more or less guess what Sasuke was thinking.

"!" He said, glancing up at the sky when he heard a hawk's cry. "Ok, that's it for today." He told his students, breaking up the fight that was threatening to start. "I have to go submit this mission report…"

"Then I'm going home…" Sasuke said, turning to leave without hesitation. He didn't want to be there any longer than he had to.

"Oh!" Sakura gasped, realizing this was her chance. "Hey, Sasuke-kun, Wait." She said, running after him.

"!" Naruto gasped, flinching in shock and disappointment as she totally ditched him without a second glance.

"How about right now… We work on our teamwork, just the two of us…?" She suggested when she caught up to Sasuke, blushing.

"You're the same as Naruto." Sasuke said bluntly, delivering a heavy psychological blow. Sakura stared at him, slightly stunned, as Inner Sakura struggled under the weight of an imaginary boulder with the words 'same as Naruto' carved into it. "If you have time to bother me, go practice a jutsu or two. Frankly, your ability is below Naruto's." He added as a parting shot, dropping and even bigger bomb on her.

'He's right…' She realized dejectedly. 'In every mission, I do the least…' Even April, who was prone to collapsing from using too much chakra on simple of jutsus that the rest of them could pull off easily, pulled more weight in the group than her thanks to her skills in taijutsu…

"Sakura-chan_!_! Forget Sasuke, let's train together_!_!" Naruto said brightly, sounding way too happy about his rejection of her for her liking. A vein throbbed on her head as tears streamed down her face. It was so galling to think Sasuke considered her lower than _that_. Kakashi chose that moment to quickly disappear. He hoped Naruto would still be alive later…

–∞–

"Thanks for the reports." Iruka said as Kakashi handed them over. "… So is Naruto… doing well with his teammates?" He asked hopefully.

"Well… to an extent…" Kakashi said a bit hesitantly as he avoided eye contact, putting it kindly.

"I've been busy lately… I haven't seen him since he got back." Iruka admitted a bit bashfully, scratching his cheek. He'd never gone this long without checking up on Naruto before. "I'm a little worried… but I guess he'll be fine as long as he's with April. She must have known I'd been missing them, because she sent me a message via Moegi-chan that you all had returned safely and Naruto was doing his best with training… She's a good kid."

"Yeah…" Kakashi agreed. Having her around was a big help. "As you know, Naruto's also with that Sasuke Uchiha. He sees him as his rival, and they argue a lot, but the results are that they are both improving greatly, almost enough to surpass you." April, too… though it would probably take her a little longer to get there with her handicap.

"…!" Iruka was surprised, but he smiled. "Is that so?" He asked, genuinely pleased for his students.

–∞–

April hummed happily as she walked the streets with bags full of several pounds worth of meat. She had managed to get both hers and Naruto's share in record time.

"Hm?" She said when she spotted Sasuke crossing paths with the road she was on. "Hey, Sasuke!" She called cheerfully, getting his attention. "Where's everyone else?"

"Hmph. How should I know." He answered snippily, obviously in a bad mood. April sweat-dropped, slightly chagrined at the attitude he was giving her. Would it kill him to smile?

"Bastard_!_!_!_" They heard a familiar voice shout angrily somewhere further back down the road from where Sasuke had just come.

'Oh, there's Naruto…' April thought. "!" She was surprised when she felt a small, but sudden spike in unfamiliar chakra. 'What the…?'

"_Whoa!_!" He cried out in surprise and alarm, sounding like he was in a serious pinch.

"That can't be good…!" April said, furrowing her brow, as she quickly headed towards the sound's point of origin.

"Hey, what are you…" Sasuke started say, when he heard the voices of some scared kids crying.

"Konohamaru-chan_!_!"

"Konohamaru-kun_!_!"

"Hey_!_! You fat pig_!_!_!_ If you don't let him go, I'll make you pay_!_!" Naruto shouted furiously. "Fat ass_!_! Idiot_!_!"

"Ugh!" Sasuke groaned, deciding he'd better go after her and help. She just rushed in without a thought whenever Naruto was in trouble… It was seriously annoying, but there was obviously something worse going on than just Naruto screwing up again. As they drew closer, they could hear more of what was going on.

"Basically… I hate midgets…" An unfamiliar young, male voice said. "Especially younger ones that are rude… makes me want to kill them!"

"!" April and Sasuke furrowed their brows. That was real killing intent they sensed up ahead. They exchanged a brief glance and nodded in understanding, before splitting up to divide and conquer.

"Wha…_!_!_?"_ Naruto yelled incredulously, scared for Konohamaru.

"_!_!" Sakura gasped in alarm. Moegi and Udon were trembling with fear, reduced to tears.

"Oh well…" The blonde girl who was with the creep threatening Konohamaru said boredly. "I'm not involved…"

"You bastard_!_!_!_" Naruto shouted furiously, breaking out into a nervous sweat. What should he do? How could he get Konohamaru away from this guy_!_?

'What's with this guy…?' Sakura wondered, also sweating nervously. 'This is bad…' If only Sasuke were there…

"Well, after this one, I'll take care of that other annoying midget_!_!" The guy holding Konohamaru sneered as he clenched his free hand into a fist and pulled it back, preparing to strike.

"_!_!" Naruto gasped. He grit his teeth, launching himself forward as Konohamaru's attacker swung his fist forward. "Hey_!_!_!_!" Naruto shouted desperately, praying he would make it in time.

_WHAP!_ _WOOSH!_

"_!_!" They all gasped as a blur of purple, white, and brown flashed by as something hit the wrist of Konohamaru's attacker. As a small stone hit the ground, April skidded to a stop in front of Naruto and the others, with her bags of meat tucked under arms, holding Konohamaru tight, completely safe and unharmed.

"A… April-neechan…_!_!" Moegi exclaimed, crying with relief, while the others stared at her, stunned.

'No… No way…' Sakura thought, shocked. She knew April was fast, but that was just…

"Hey…_!_!_!_" Konohamaru's attacker growled angrily, glaring fiercely at her for interfering. Did she throw that stone, too_!_? That damn thing had drawn blood_!_!_!_

"What are you bastards doing in our village?" Sasuke asked sternly from his perch up on a tree branch above them, alerting everyone to his presence, as he tossed another stone up and down in his hand, ready to go again at anytime.

"Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_!" Sakura squealed excitedly, super relieved that he had come back to save the day.

"Uh…" Naruto groaned. He was glad that April had saved Konohamaru, and his little friend was okay, but… he really wished she had left Sasuke out of it. Konohamaru's attacker narrowed his eyes as he glanced up at Sasuke. So, it was _him_... A bead of nervous sweat slid down the side of his face. He could tell Sasuke was on a whole different level than the others. He knew April was good, but Sasuke was the one who really made him nervous.

'He's pretty handsome…' The blonde haired girl thought, blushing slightly as she eyed Sasuke appreciatively.

–∞–

"You've been assembled for one reason only." The Third Hokage told the ninjas gathered before him. "It should be obvious by the members here."

"It's already that time…" Kakashi mused.

"It's already been reported to the other countries. I saw them in the village." Genma Shiranui remarked.

"So, when is it?" Kakashi asked.

"In a week." The Hokage replied, taking a puff on his tobacco pipe.

"Wow, that soon?" One of the other jōnin asked, surprised. The Third exhaled the smoke from his lungs.

"Well, I'll announce it properly, seven days from now." The wizened old man said calmly. "On the first day of the seventh moon… the Chūnin Selection Exam will commence_!_!"


	36. Chapter35: Powerful New Rivals

**Previously:**

_"So, when is it?" Kakashi asked._

_"In a week." The Hokage replied, taking a puff on his tobacco pipe._

_"Wow, that soon?" One of the other jōnin asked, surprised. The Third exhaled the smoke from his lungs._

_"Well, I'll announce it properly, seven days from now." The wizened old man said calmly. "On the first day of the seventh moon… the Chūnin Selection Exam will commence!_!"

* * *

**Chapter 35: Powerful New Rivals**

* * *

"Now… First, we'll hear from those who are watching over the new genins." The Hokage said. "Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma… Well?" He asked as all three of them stepped forward. "Are there any genins that you would like to enter into this Chūnin Selection Exam? I don't have to tell you, but… after a genin has properly completed at least eight missions, they may take the exam if nominated by their sensei. Of course, completing more missions than that is the norm."

'He doesn't need to ask, they aren't ready.' Iruka thought with a frown.

"Now, starting with Kakashi…" The Hokage said, prompting the jōnins to begin. Following proper etiquette, Kakashi raised one hand in the Seal of Confrontation.

"The Kakashi led Team 7," Kakashi said, "Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, April Starr, Sakura Haruno… Under the name of Kakashi Hatake, I nominate all of them to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"What_!_?" Iruka gasped, startled.

"The Kurenai led Team 8," Kurenai said, following Kakashi's lead. "Hinata Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame… Under the name of Kurenai Yūhi, the same as to my left."

"The Asuma led Team 10," Asuma said, making the Seal of Confrontation. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Chōji Akimichi… Under the name of Asuma Sarutobi, the same as to my left."

"Hmm… All of them…" The Hokage said thoughtfully. "How rare…"

"Hold on a second!" Iruka blurted out.

"What is it, Iruka?" The Hokage asked calmly.

"Hokage-sama, please, let me have a word!" Iruka said urgently. "I may be speaking out of place, but most of these nine… were students of mine at the academy. Of course, they are all very talented, but it's too early to take the exam. They need more experience. I can't understand the jōnins' reasoning."

"I became a chūnin when I was six years younger than Naruto." Kakashi reminded him. Age had nothing to do with it. When you were ready, you were ready.

"Naruto is different from you_!_!" Iruka snapped. "Are you trying to crush these kids_!_? The Chūnin Exam is…!"

"They're always complaining about how the missions. Experiencing some pain may be good for them…" Kakashi retorted coolly. "Crushing them could be fun…"

"What…_!_?" Iruka shouted, appalled.

"Well, that was a joke, Iruka-sensei…" Kakashi stated calmly. "I can understand your feelings, it must upset you, but…"

"Ugh…" Iruka furrowed his brow, still angry that he would even joke like that.

"Kakashi, stop already…" Kurenai said, furrowing her brow slightly. Why were they even arguing about this?

"Stay out of this. They are no longer your students…" Kakashi continued, looking Iruka straight in the eye. It was important that he understand this. "Right now… They are my soldiers."

"…" Iruka grit his teeth in frustration. What Kakashi had just said was true. He no longer had any authority over Naruto and the others.

'Geez… So annoying…' Asuma thought, sweat-dropping. Those two were getting way too worked up…

"…" The Hokage watched silently. The corner if his mouth curved upwards slightly in the hint of a smirk. It was rare to see Kakashi like that. He must really like his new team.

–∞–

"Nee-chan_!_!" Konohamaru cried, burying his face in April's chest, as he clung to her.

"Konohamaru-kun…" April said, placing a hand his head. "I'm glad you're all right, but quit it. I know I what you're trying to do…" She said tersely with a tense smile as she pushed his head back to stop him from repeatedly rubbing his face against her boobs.

"Ehe…" Konohamaru laughed a bit sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed (but mostly disappointed) that he had been caught.

'Well, he should be fine if he's still energetic enough to try to cop a feel in this situation…' April thought with a sigh as she set him down and stood up to face the enemy, whose attention was still on Sasuke at the moment.

"Tch… Another guy who pisses me off…" Konohamaru's assaulter muttered darkly as he glared up at Sasuke, cradling his injured hand.

"Get lost!" Sasuke said sternly, furrowing his brow, as he returned the enemy's glare.

"Kyaa_!_!_!_ So cool_!_!_!_" Sakura and Moegi squealed excitedly with heart-shaped eyes. Even Udon was looking a little starry-eyed. "Go get him, Sasuke-kun_!_!_!_" Naruto, Konohamaru, and April all sweat-dropped. The boys were embarrassed and chagrined that Sasuke had made them look so uncool in comparison. April simply didn't think this was the time to be fangirling.

"Naruto-niichan… You suck…" Konohamaru said disappointedly, causing Naruto to flinch in shock. "I believed in you…"

"No, dummy_!_!" Naruto said nervously, starting to panic. "I could easily defeat that guy!"

"Hmph!" Konohamaru huffed, crossing his arms, as he turned away.

'Damn you, Sasuke_!_!_!_' Naruto thought furiously, grinding his teeth in frustration, as he clenched his fist. 'Why are you always making me look bad_!_?'

"Well… In all fairness, Konohamaru-kun, I don't think that guy's the type of opponent that'll be defeated so easily…" April said with wry smile, feeling kind of sorry for Naruto. His 'cool and dependable big bro' image seemed to be in critical condition.

'Oh? Not bad…' The blonde girl thought, sparing a brief glance in April's direction upon hearing that. It seemed she had managed to pick up on something that most people missed until it was too late…

"Hey, punk, get down here_!_!" Konohamaru's assaulter shouted, still completely focused on Sasuke. "I hate showoffs like you the most." He said bitterly, removing the giant bundle from his back.

"!" April furrowed her brow, frowning, as she took up a defensive position. She didn't know what that thing was, but it looked like he was getting ready to fight for real this time.

"Hey, you're even going to use Karasu?" The blonde girl with him asked, taken aback.

"Kankurō, stop it." A new voice said firmly from just behind Sasuke.

"_!_!" Sasuke and April gasped, startled. Their eyes widened as they turned their heads to look at its owner. A red haired boy was standing upside down on one of the branches of the same tree Sasuke was sitting in. There was a huge gourd strapped to his back, and he had the kanji for 'self love' tattooed on his temple.

"You're an embarrassment to our village." The redhead finished as everyone stared at him, speechless.

"Ga… Gaara…" Konohamaru's assaulter said with a tense smile, sweating nervously. He was obviously afraid of the redheaded boy.

'This guy… When did he…?' Sasuke wondered, furrowing his brow. A bead of nervous sweat threatened to fall down the side of his face. 'That's Kakashi level sneakiness…'

'This guy clearly isn't an ordinary genin…' April thought, frowning, as beads of sweat formed on her brow. She hadn't sensed his presence at all until now, and there was something ominous about his chakra… Even his allies seemed to be afraid of him. His piercing aquamarine eyes were framed by dark rings that indicated a frighteningly severe case of insomnia. '… He might not be… completely stable…' She realized worriedly.

"Losing yourself in a fight, how pathetic… Why do you think we came to the Leaf Village?" Gaara asked, staring down at Kankurō with disdain.

"Listen, Gaara," Kankurō said nervously, "they started it, and…"

"Shut up… I'll kill you." Gaara snapped coldly. Kankurō immediately shut his mouth as he flinched with fear, breaking out into a cold sweat. The look in Gaara's eye sent a chill up April's spine. He meant it. He _seriously _meant it.

"Okay, I'm sorry…" Kankurō apologized quickly with a trembling voice, desperate not to get killed.

"I'm also sorry… Really sorry…" The blonde girl added nervously, trying to help defuse the situation.

'So this one's the leader…' Sasuke thought, seeing how subservient the others had suddenly become. 'He has strange eyes…'

"My apologies, you guys." Gaara said politely, looking at Sasuke. 'To be able to hit that Kankurō with a stone… He's good…' He thought.

"_!_!" Sasuke said, surprised, when a whirl of sand suddenly swirled up around the creepy redhead, transporting him to the ground in an instant to join his comrades.

'That one, too…' Gaara thought, casting a glance at April. Not only did she take advantage of the second the stone hit Kankurō's hand to break through his guard, but she appeared to have sensed Kankurō's chakra threads as she brushed past him, because she had flared her own chakra just enough to keep them from being able to attach… and she had done all of this in an instant while carrying that child… 'But for all her skill, she's weak…' He thought dismissively. Her chakra levels were not at all remarkable, completely different from the guy who had thrown the stone. "It looks like we got here too early, but… we didn't come here to play around." He reminded his siblings.

"I know that…" Kankurō said nervously, still sweating heavily.

"Let's go." Gaara said, turning to leave.

"Hey, wait_!_!" Sakura said abruptly, stopping them.

"!" April's eyes widened as she glanced at her teammate out the corner of her eye. What was she thinking? Did she not understand how dangerous these guys were_!_?

"What?" Gaara asked calmly.

"Judging by your forehead protectors, you guys are… ninjas from the Hidden Sand Village, right? You may be allies with the Leaf Village, but… it is forbidden for shinobi's to enter each other's villages without permission." Sakura stated rather bravely. "State your purpose. Depending on it, we may not be able to let you go…"

'Hey, now…' April thought a little nervously, sweat-dropping. What Sakura had said just now wasn't wrong, but in this case wouldn't it be better to immediately notify someone of higher rank and skill instead? Who said they didn't have permission to be there? Did She really think it was that easy to break into the village? And what was with 'we may not be able to let you go'? Those sand ninjas had been the ones letting _them_ go before she stopped them…

"Hah! Talk about clueless… Don't you know anything?" The blonde asked sassily as she pulled out her pass, holding it up for them to see.

"!" Sasuke said, furrowing his brow. So they did have permission…

"You're right, we are genins from the Hidden Sand." She continued. "We have come to your village to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"… Chūnin Selection Exam…?" Naruto asked, looking totally clueless.

'I'm guessing it's a promotion exam to become chūnin…' April thought wryly, sweat-dropping.

"Geez… You really don't know anything…" The blonde said disapprovingly, crossing her arms.

"Please enlighten us, then." April retorted with a brilliant shit-eating grin. The blonde raised an eyebrow at her, but then went on to do just that.

"The chūnin exam is where outstanding genins from Suna, Konoha, and other neighboring villages assemble to take an exam to become chūnin." She explained rather helpfully.

"Why do we take it together?" Naruto asked curiously.

"The main purpose is said to be to improve relationships between the allies and raise the shinobi level, but also each country likes to maintain a power balance and…" The blonde trailed off when she realized he wasn't even listening.

"Hey, Konohamaru_!_!_!_ Think I should enter this chūnin exam thing_!_!_?_" Naruto asked excitedly.

"You bastard_!_!" The blonde snapped indignantly, clenching her fist. "You asked the question, listen til the end_!_!_!_!"

"Haha, sorry about that… I'm afraid he has the attention span of a goldfish!" April apologized wryly, rubbing the back of her neck. 'I see… so in addition to being an exam, it also serves a more diplomatic purpose…' She thought. That explanation was pretty helpful.

"Hey, you." Sasuke said a he joined them on the ground. "What's your name?"

"Huh? You mean me?" The blonde asked a little excitedly, blushing slightly.

"No. You, with the gourd." Sasuke said, looking straight at the redhead with the creepy eyes.

'You'd know it if you had been listening…' April thought, sweat-dropping. Hadn't they already said it?

"… Gaara of the desert…" Gaara answered, furrowing his brow slightly. "I'm also interested in you. Your name?"

"It's Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke answered confidently. The wind blew, rustling the leaves in the treetops above, as the two genins stared each other down.

"Hey_!_! What about me_!_? Huh_!_?" Naruto butted with a grin, breaking the heavy atmosphere without hesitation.

"Not interested." Gaara replied bluntly as he turned away to leave. "Let's go…" He told his comrades. With that, the three sand ninja made themselves scarce and quickly disappeared.

'Heh, this is getting interesting…' Sasuke thought with a smirk.

'Phew…' April thought, breathing a sigh of relief. She was glad their little encounter had ended peacefully. Those three sand ninjas were no joke.

"Konohamaru, do I look weak?" Naruto asked a little dejectedly, upset that eyebrowless kid with the gourd had given him the brush off despite having gone out of his way to ask about Sasuke.

"Weaker than Sasuke-niichan, yes." Konohamaru replied honestly. That was the last straw for Naruto.

"Sasuke_!_!_!_ I won't lose to you_!_!_!_" Naruto ranted furiously with multiple veins throbbing on his head, flailing his arms wildly, while April held him back.

"What's your problem_!_?" Sasuke asked, annoyed.

"Seriously, would you quit trying to attack your teammate?" April chided Naruto. "He just helped us."

"What_!_? Aren't you mad, April_!_?" Naruto shouted incredulously, rounding on her. "I mean, you made such a cool entrance, but all anyone cared about was that jerk and his stupid pebble_!_!"

"Not really." April answered with a straight face, surprising him. It wasn't Sasuke's fault that he was born with a face that just happened to make most girls lose all common sense. "It was _because_ he threw that pebble that I was able to save Konohamaru-kun. Not everything is a competition, Naruto. I doesn't matter to me who gets the credit as long as I can protect what's important to me."

"April…" Naruto said, kind of impressed, as he and the Konohamaru Corps stared at her in awe. That was… actually pretty cool…

"Naruto-niichan, I think you just lost to April-neechan in terms of manliness…" Konohamaru said, causing him to flinch in shock.

"Damn it_!_!" Naruto cursed as he clenched his fist, frustrated that everyone else kept showing him up.

"So, what do you think?" Another foreign ninja, who had a musical note engraved on his forehead protector, asked his three comrades as they watched from another tree a safe distance away.

"Hmm… That purple-haired girl is pretty cute..." The comrade wearing a specially modified muzzle/gas mask over his mouth said, drooling a little behind it. He just might want to add her to his collection...

"That wasn't what he meant, and you know it." Their bandaged leader deadpanned, sweat-dropping, as they watched the muzzled boy warily out the corner of his eye. What a creep… They hoped his bad habit wouldn't kick in before they had a chance to start the exam. "Anyway…" He said, getting back on point. "Nothing serious, but… that black-haired leaf ninja, and the sand ninja with the gourd… Let's keep an eye on them." He decided.

"?" April said when her body shuddered a little instinctively. She glanced around, and her eyes landed on the tree where the four ninja had been hiding, but they were already gone. "…" April frowned slightly as she furrowed her brow in confusion. She could have sworn she felt something really unpleasant from that direction just a second ago…


End file.
